Abstract
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor, is a main building block of epoxy resin which is widely used as a coating agent in residential water storage tanks. Therefore, BPA leaching from the epoxy resin may have adverse effects on human health. The possibility of BPA leaching from three epoxy resins were tested with a modified KS D 8502 method at 20, 50, 75 and $100^{\circ}C$ in deionized water and the specified test water, respectively. BPA leached to the test water was identified using GC-MS and quantified with GC-FID after a sequential extraction and concentration. The results showed that BPA leaching has occurred in all three samples tested. The quantify of BPA leaching from unit area of epoxy resin coating was in the range of $10.677{\sim}273.120{\mu}g/m^2$ for sample A, 29.737~1734.045 for sample B and 52.857~548.778 for sample C depending on the test temperature, respectively. In general, the amount of BPA leaching increased as the water temperature increases. This result implies a higher risk of BPA leaching to drinking water during a hot summer season. In addition, microbial growth, measured by colony forming units, in epoxy coated water tanks was higher than that in a stainless steel tank suggesting that compounds leaching from epoxy resin may support the growth of microorganisms in a residential water holding tank.
