Migration studies of nickel and chromium from ceramic and glass tableware into food simulants

Overview

Szynal, Rebeniak, and Mania measured nickel and total chromium migration from ceramic tableware and decorated-rim glassware available on the Polish market into acidic food simulants. The study found nearly all migration values below the method limit of quantification (0.02 mg/L), with one decorated ceramic bowl inner surface releasing nickel at 0.04 mg/L. The evidence is food-contact-material leachate data, not food-as-consumed occurrence data.

Key numbers

• Publication identity: Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig 2016;67(3):247-252; received 25.03.2016, accepted 25.06.2016; 6 PDF pages.
• Sample frame from abstract: 172 ceramic vessels and 52 glass vessels, generally available on the domestic Polish market, with inner surfaces mainly coloured and with rim decorations.
• Sample details from Materials and Methods: 172 ceramic vessels were described as 84 deep dishes and 88 flat dishes; 52 glassware samples had decorated rims. The Results paragraph later says 171 test ceramic vessels, so the source has a one-vessel ceramic count inconsistency.
• Ceramic migration condition: 4% acetic acid for 24 ± 0.5 hrs at 22 ± 2°C, filled to 1 mm below the overflow edge and held in a dark room.
• Glassware migration conditions: 4% acetic acid for 24 ± 0.5 hrs at 22 ± 2°C, or 0.5% citric acid for 2 ± 0.1 hours at 70 ± 2°C.
• Main occurrence result: nickel and chromium migration from the tested ceramic and glassware was below LOQ = 0.02 mg/L under the applied conditions, except for one decorated ceramic bowl inner surface with nickel migration 0.04 mg/L.
• Regulatory context cited by the authors: EU legislation had not set nickel or chromium migration limits from kitchen utensils at the time; the Council of Europe P-SC-EMB practical guide recommended migration limits of 0.14 and 0.250 mg/kg for nickel and chromium, respectively, released from metals and alloys used in food-contact articles.
• Nickel dietary-exposure context cited by the authors: chronic average exposure to nickel for the general population ranged from 2 μg/kg bw/day for the elderly to 13 μg/kg bw/day for small children, close to or above a 2.8 μg/kg bw/day TDI cited in the paper.
• Drinking-water comparator cited by the authors: maximum permissible nickel in water intended for human consumption 20 µg/L, lower than the 70 µg/L WHO level cited by the paper; total chromium in water intended for human consumption 50 µg/L.

Method validation parameters

Source-cited literature comparators

These are not new occurrence data from Szynal 2016, but the authors use them to place the study in context:

Methods (brief)

The authors validated flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for nickel and chromium released into food simulants from ceramic and glass tableware. White undecorated ceramic and glassware validation samples were spiked at 0.02 mg/L and 0.80 mg/L. Reagents included high-purity acetic acid, citric acid, nickel and chromium standards, and deionised water. Nickel was measured at wavelength 232.0 nm and chromium at 357.9 nm using an air-acetylene flame.

Related evidence

• Ceramicware
• Glassware
• Decorative decals/coatings on tableware
• Nickel
• Chromium

Update history

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