Variation in light transmission properties of amber oral syringes

Four brands of amber oral syringes were tested for compliance with compendial standards for light-resistant packaging. United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) specifications state that light-resistant packaging must not transmit more than 10% of incident light with wavelengths of 290-450 nm. The amount of light transmitted by samples of the barrels of 200 amber plastic oral syringes from each of four manufacturers was determined by spectrophotometry. Samples of both the printed and unprinted sides of the barrel were tested (after removal of all ink). The thickness of each syringe-barrel sample was measured, and the apparent density was determined. All of the Becton-Dickinson syringes tested met the USP standard for light transmittance, and none of the syringes from Baxa or Solopak met the compendial standards. Of the Burron syringes tested, 70 syringes met the standard, 83 did not meet the standard, and 47 could not be classified. The samples of the printed side of the syringe barrel had light transmission properties similar to those of the unprinted side with the exception of the syringes from Baxa, which had substantially higher apparent densities at all wavelengths for the printed side. Only one manufacturer's oral syringes consistently met the USP standard for light-resistant packaging. Further testing is needed to determine the clinical importance of these findings.