A government study has detected presence of toxic contaminants including lead in plastic bottles of cough syrups and other liquid medicines prompting an advisory body to suggest ban on use of such containers for liquid oral formulations.
The issue came up when Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which comes under the Health Ministry, was examining the issue of discontinuing the use of PET or plastic bottles, for packaging pharmaceutical preparations.
According to the minutes of the 71st meeting DTAB a study was necessitated to understand the implications of the usage plastic bottles in packaging of pharmaceutical preparations and soft drinks.
A six-member Plastic Hazard Committee (PHC) was formed to study leaching toxics after Director General Health Services (DGHS) and Chairman DTAB asked All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health (AIIH&PH) to conduct the study.
It was decided that in the first lot, testing of pharmaceutical preparations of brands like Polybion Multivitamin Syrup, Benadryl cough syrup, Alex cough syrup and others will be done.
In the second lot drinks like Asli Nimboo, Asli Santra, Deshi Daru, Pincon Bangla and others were taken up while cold drinks like Pepsi, Sprite, 7up Mountain Dew and Coca Cola had to be taken up in the third lot.
"The conclusion of (the study) of all the pharmaceutical products revealed that antimony, chromium, lead and DEHP were present even at the room temperature in all the five products (pharmaceutical). All samples leeching with antimony, chromium, lead and DEHP from PET bottles increased with increase in temperature," the minutes said.
The minutes also said the DTAB agreed with the findings of AIIH&PH Kolkata and after deliberations "recommended the report may be forwarded to the Health Ministry for its consideration and finalization of the draft rules to prohibit the use of Polythene Teraphthalate or plastic containers...
"...In the liquid oral formulations for primary packaging of drug formulations for paediatric use, geriatric use and for use of pregnant women and women of reproductive age group."
The Health Ministry, however, has not taken a decision on the advisory yet.
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