Quantification of five plasticizers used in PVC tubing through high performance liquid chromatographic-UV detection

Searching for alternatives to di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate, a plasticizer that has been widely used in the manufacturing of PVC medical devices, has become a major challenge since a European regulation underlined some clinical risks. The aim of this study is to develop an HPLC–UV method to quantify the currently used alternative plasticizers to DEHP. Five plasticizers, acetyl tributyl citrate, di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate, di-(ethylhexyl)-terephthalate, di-isononyl-1,2-cyclohexane-dicarboxylate, and trioctyl trimellitate, were separated on a C8 stationary phase (2.6 μm, 100 mm × 4.6 mm) under gradient elution in 13 min. They were detected at 221 nm leading to a quantification threshold from 0.3 to 750 μg/mL as a function of the plasticizer. Within-day and between-day precisions were inferior to 0.9% and 18%, respectively. The assays were validated according to the accuracy profile method. Plasticizers were extracted from PVC-tubing by dissolving PVC in THF then precipitating it in methanol with a yield of over 90% for each plasticizer. This assay could feasibly be used to quantify plasticizers in PVC medical devices.