The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) reported that testing glass containers for compliance with state toxics in packaging laws was most effective when an external heat source was used.
A report with recommendations was issued this week. TPCH sent glass samples containing known concentrations of lead to nine commercial laboratories in the US and one laboratory in Europe for testing. The results indicated that EPA SW-846 Method 3052, Microwave Assisted Acid Digestion of Siliceous and Organically Based Matrices, and comparable sample preparation methods using hydrofluoric acid (HF) for silica-based materials like glass were effective in determining total lead content. Methods using HF without the application of an external heat source such as microwave, oven bomb or hot plate did not perform as well.
Recent XRF screening of glass bottles by TPCH indicated that some wine bottles may exceed allowable levels of lead in packaging. State toxics in packaging laws prohibit the sale and distribution of packaging with greater than a total of 100 ppm four metals – lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium – combined. Some green wine bottles originating in South America and Europe were found by TPCH to exceed the 100 ppm regulatory limit.
Photo: James Temple Flickr photostream
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