[Cause of bisphenol A migration from cans for drinks and assessment of improved cans]

In the previous investigation, we found that some cans for coffee and black tea drinks released large amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) into their contents. Equivalent cans were obtained and the cause of BPA migration was investigated. Equivalent cans A, B and D contained high levels of BPA in the side seam, in the bottom, and in the bottom and the side seam, respectively, while can C contained some level of BPA in the body, which has a large area, therefore, all of them contained high amounts of BPA in their coatings. In the migration test, there was no BPA migration from the cans into water at 60 and 95 degrees C for 30 min, into 20% ethanol at 60 degrees C for 30 min, or into n-heptane at 25 degrees C for 60 min. However, at 120 degrees C for 30 min, equivalent cans released 35-124 ng/mL BPA into the water. The total migration was similar to the total residues of BPA in the can coating and was close to the total amount of BPA in the drinks. Thus, BPA migration from the can coating requires heating to more than 105 degrees C, which is the glass transition temperature of the epoxy resin. Improved cans which contained less than 1/10 as much BPA as the equivalent cans showed very low migration levels, i.e., 3-6 ng/mL.