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The current study evaluates the migration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) and phthalates into
artificial saliva from natural rubber latex (NRL) balloons available for sale in Sri Lanka. It was discovered that at least
one BTEX compound migrated from almost all the brands. The migration of four phthalates; diethyl phthalate, dibutyl
phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate were also observed. Migratory levels of BTEX and phthalates in most of the balloon brands were above the permissible levels set by the European Union. Assessment of
factors affecting the migratory levels indicated migration under active mouthing conditions and migration from the
neck region of the balloons were significantly higher. The migratory levels were observed to decrease with storage
time, and in certain brands the BTEX levels decreased below the permissible level. One-way ANOVA indicated no
significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in migratory levels of each individual compound within the same brand for both
BTEX and phthalates. When compared among different brands, BTEX levels indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05),
while phthalate levels were observed to not be significantly different (p ≥ 0.05). A significant difference was also
observed (p ≤ 0.05) among the migratory levels of compounds under each test condition evaluated as factors
affecting the migratory level. Furthermore, the solvent based colorants added to color the latex were found to be the
source of BTEX and phthalates in the NRL balloons.
