# Evaluation of Migration, Bioaccessibility, and Dietary Risk of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Polypropylene Packaging Using a Packaging–Food–Digestion Simulation System

## TL;DR

This study evaluates how flame retardants in plastic packaging migrate into food and pose dietary risks using a simulation system.

## Contribution

A new simulation system integrating migration and digestion data to assess dietary risks of flame retardants in packaging.

## Key findings

- Migration of OPFRs is influenced by molecular structure and food matrix composition.
- Bioaccessibility is mainly affected by molecular polarity and food matrix.
- Risk assessment showed all OPFRs had acceptable dietary risk at tested levels.

## Abstract

This study systematically investigated the migration behavior, bioaccessibility, and dietary risk of five typical organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in polypropylene (PP) packaging using migration experiments and in vitro simulated digestion. Migration was primarily influenced by molecular structural features, including polarity, volume, and flexibility, and was further modulated by the food matrix composition. Diffusion and partition coefficients effectively characterized the migration patterns of OPFRs in different foods. In vitro digestion results indicated that molecular polarity was the main structural factor affecting bioaccessibility, while food matrix composition significantly influenced the bioaccessibility of all compounds except TnBP. Dietary risk assessment, incorporating bioaccessibility, improved the accuracy of exposure estimation. At a PP incorporation level of 0.1 g/kg, all five OPFRs showed hazard quotient (HQ) values below 1 across all dietary scenarios, indicating acceptable risk. TBOEP and TPPO exhibited relatively higher HQ values, warranting closer attention. The “packaging–food–digestion simulation” system established in this study integrated migration data and bioaccessibility results to represent the exposure process of OPFRs from packaging through food to human digestion and provided a practical basis for risk assessment of packaging additives.