MOSH / MOAH

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The abbreviations MOSH and MOAH denote two different groups of chemical compounds that occur in mineral oil . MOSH stands for English Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons ( saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons ), MOAH for English Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons ( aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons). Since not all analytical systems can separate MOSH and MOAH, we often only speak of MOH (Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons), which then contain the MOSH and MOAH content.

composition

The components belonging to the MOSH fraction are paraffins (open-chain hydrocarbons) and naphthenes ( cyclic hydrocarbons), which are usually highly alkylated . These come either directly from the petroleum or were formed by hydrogenation of aromatics and other reactions during refining .

The MOAH fraction, which makes up roughly 20 percent in mineral oil, contains compounds with mono- or polyaromatic rings , which can also be highly alkylated. By definition, hydrocarbons with at least one aromatic ring are included in the MOAH fraction, even if the entire molecule is largely saturated.

Biological effect

No studies on the toxicity after oral ingestion are available for MOSH and MOAH mixtures . A concrete risk assessment for humans is therefore not yet possible. However, it cannot be ruled out that the MOAH fraction also contains carcinogenic compounds.

For the biological effect of the compounds it is crucial which components are absorbed by the body . It must be assumed that the ingested mixtures can accumulate in the human body because they are only slowly excreted .

About 90 percent of the shorter-chain hydrocarbons (with 14 to 18 carbon atoms) can easily be absorbed via the portal vascular system or the lymphatic system . MOSH can accumulate in fat cells, lymph glands, spleen and liver. The concentration of hydrocarbons in adipose tissue is on average 60 ppm as high as in breast milk. Animal studies have shown that low viscosity mineral oil mixtures can lead to inflammation in the liver, heart valves and histiocytosis in lymph nodes .

Occurrence in food and consumer goods

MOSH and MOAH have been repeatedly detected in food. The sources of contamination are often the packaging materials made from recycled cardboard or the mineral oil-based printing inks used on the packaging , which migrate into the food. However, machine oils from the manufacturing process can also be responsible for contamination. Food packaging is now mostly made from brand-new paper. This does not apply to secondary and transport packaging. Contamination can also originate from neighboring packaging.

Various barrier solutions are now available on the market that prevent this. Basically, a distinction is made between extrusion-coated folding boxboard / packaging paper and folding boxboard / packaging paper with a mineral oil coating on an aqueous basis, which is applied directly during cardboard production. The cardboard industry also offers solutions that have activated carbon in the middle layer of the cardboard, so-called mineral oil adsorbers. However, it is also possible to apply a mineral oil barrier during the printing process by the manufacturer.

Other sources of food such as B. Rice are adhesives on cardboard, but also processing and treatment methods such as the use of anti-caking and dust-binding agents or spray gloss agents.

Many cosmetics contain mineral oil products (e.g. paraffinum, petrolatum , cera microcristallina ) as a fatty component. In some cases, significant proportions of aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) were found. According to Stiftung Warentest , the tests used by cosmetics manufacturers to ensure compliance with limits for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are not suitable for recording all compounds from the MOAH group. In 2015, Stiftung Warentest also described lip care products as problematic, as MOSH and MOAH get into the body when licked and swallowed and can be absorbed. More recent information is now available from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).

On February 27, 2018 (Opinion No. 008/2018), the BfR published a risk assessment of the use of mineral oil qualities that meet the purity requirements for pharmaceuticals or the approved mineral oil food additives, taking into account the MOSH and MOAH. According to the current state of knowledge, no health risks are to be expected. This also applies to lip care products, since if the recommendations of Cosmetics Europe are complied with, no health effects are to be expected from oral intake.

Transmission routes

In the case of hydrocarbons with up to 25 carbon atoms, food is contaminated by outgassing from the packaging materials and precipitation on the food surface. Large surfaces (such as in rice ) lead to greater exposure to hydrocarbons. Inner packaging made of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) slows down the transition. Only so-called functional barriers that contain aluminum layers or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are considered impermeable (migration-tight). However, the production of aluminum foil is energy-intensive, has a negative impact on the recycling process and is harmful to the environment. Packaging that is impermeable to water vapor can also promote the growth of microorganisms in food. Recently developed special films are likely to be useful only for certain packaging systems.

proof

The analytical detection and the quantitative determination of the MOSH and MOAH fraction is carried out as a sum parameter . For this purpose, the samples are extracted with n- hexane and the extract is analyzed using coupled HPLC - GC with a flame ionization detector or a mass spectrometric detector . With complex analysis, it should be noted that possible polyolefinic components made of polyethylene or polypropylene can occur as interfering components .

Legal evaluation

Food

According to the EC regulation, it must be ruled out that "substances in quantities that are sufficient to endanger human health [...] pass into food."

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMELV) is planning both a printing ink and a mineral oil ordinance. At the European level, the expert discussion has begun without any legislative initiative in sight (as of 2014).

cosmetics

According to the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, "mineral oils are only allowed in cosmetic products if the refining process is fully known and the raw material is free of carcinogenic substances or the distillate has been tested using certain methods". Although health risks are not to be expected in the case of absorption through the skin, the BfR recommends that "the MOAH levels in cosmetic products should be reduced to the trace levels that are unavoidable according to the current state of the art".

The BfR assessed the health of the dermal absorption of MOSH and MOAH from mineral oils via cosmetics and published the result on February 27, 2018. Since only highly refined mineral oils and microcrystalline waxes that meet the purity requirements for pharmaceuticals are used in cosmetic products, the BfR believes that, according to current scientific knowledge, no health risks for consumers are to be expected when using cosmetic products on the skin. In lip care products, the orally ingested dose of mineral oils contributes less than 10 percent to the utilization of the permitted daily dose by users. If the recommendations from Cosmetics Europe are complied with, the BfR does not expect any health effects from oral intake. It has thus replaced Opinion 014/2015, in which the BfR was not yet in a position to make a final health assessment of mineral oil absorption through the skin, as the data situation was not yet sufficient.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Federal Institute for Risk Assessment : Questions and answers on mineral oil transfers from packaging materials to food. FAQ from March 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ L. Barp, C. Kornauth, T. Wuerger, M. Rudas, M. Biedermann, A. Reiner, N. Concin, K. Grob: Mineral oil in human tissues, Part I: concentrations and molecular mass distributions. In: Food Chem Toxicol. 72, Oct 2014, pp. 312-321. PMID 24780493
  3. ↑ a b c d Reinhard Matissek: Mineral oil transfer to food - Strategies for preventing the migration of MOSH / MOAH. In: FOOD-LAB international. Volume 1, 2014, p. 8.
  4. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: Advent calendar with chocolate filling: mineral oil in chocolate from November 26, 2012, accessed on December 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Institut Fresenius : MOSH / MOAH - Mineral Oil Ingredients in Food and Packaging of February 11, 2014, accessed on December 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ Federation for Food Law and Food Science (BLL): MOSH / MOAH - Mineral oil transfers to food from November 1, 2015, accessed on December 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ foodwatch.org: Mineral oils in food - results of the foodwatch test. October 2015, accessed December 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL): Determination of mineral oil components in Advent calendars - 2015 study results from December 1, 2015, accessed on December 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ Christine Throl, Kai Thomas: Olive Oil Test: Almost half of them are "poor" and worse. In: oekotest.de . April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019 .
  10. ↑ EUWID Packaging: Mineral Oil Problem: Barrier Solution Providers Confirm That Their Products Are Used | EUWID packaging. Retrieved January 3, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: Mineral oils in cosmetics: Critical substances in creams, lip care products and Vaseline , dated May 26, 2015, accessed on December 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ a b Highly refined mineral oils in cosmetics: According to the current state of knowledge, no health risks are to be expected (PDF) In: Updated Statement No. 008/2018 . Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). February 27, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  13. ↑ a b MINERAL HYDROCARBONS IN COSMETIC LIP CAREPRODUCTS ( English , PDF) In: COSMETICS EUROPE RECOMMENDATION N ° 14 . Cosmetics Europe. September 17, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ Federal Institute for Risk Assessment : Determination of hydrocarbons from mineral oil (MOSH and MOAH) or plastics (POSH, PAO) in packaging materials and dry foods using solid phase extraction and GC-FID. (PDF).
  15. ↑ M. Biedermann, K. Grob: On-line coupled high performance liquid chromatography-gas chromatography for the analysis of contamination by mineral oil. Part 1: method of analysis. In: J Chromatogr A. 1255, Sep 14, 2012, pp. 56-75, Review. PMID 22770383
  16. ↑ K. Fiselier, F. Grundböck, K. Schön, O. Kappenstein, K. Pfaff, C. Hutzler, A. Luch, K. Grob: Development of a manual method for the determination of mineral oil in foods and paperboard. In: J Chromatogr A. 1271 (1), Jan 4, 2013, pp. 192-200. PMID 23228919
  17. ↑ S. Biedermann-Brem, N. Kasprick, T. Simat, K. Grob: Migration of polyolefin oligomeric saturated hydrocarbons (POSH) into food. In: Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 29 (3), 2012, pp. 449-460. PMID 22243490
  18. ↑ REGULATION (EC) No. 1935/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of October 27, 2004 on materials and objects that are intended to come into contact with food and repeal directives 80/590 / EEC and 89 / 109 / EEC.
  19. ↑ Reinhard Matissek: Mineral oil transfer to food - Strategies for preventing the migration of MOSH / MOAH. In: FOOD-LAB international. Volume 1, 2014, p. 11.
  20. ↑ Mineral oils in cosmetics: According to the current state of knowledge, no health risks are to be expected from absorption through the skin. ( Memento of the original from February 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. BfR opinion No. 014/2015 of May 26, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bfr.bund.de