Natural groundwaters in Poland - occurrence, properties and chemical types.

Chemical composition, organoleptic and physicochemical properties of natural groundwaters are varied and dependent on their geological environment. Determining the basic organoleptic properties - such as colour, taste, odour - as well as physical properties - such as electrical conductivity or redox potential - allow us to assess the stability of water chemical composition. Based on their origin, groundwaters can be divided into infiltration, as well as condensation, juvenile, metamorphic and relic groundwaters, which are currently of lesser value. Groundwaters sourced in Poland belong to various chemical types and play an important role in balneotherapy and the bottling industry. Of particular importance are thermal, bicarbonate, chloride or sulphate type waters. There is also a growing interest in humic waters found in the Wielkopolska region.

Natural medicinal resources and their therapeutic applications

Natural medicinal resources are a country's natural wealth. Natural medicinal waters, medicinal gases, and peloids have many properties that enable their use in the treatment of gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory, bone and joint, and skin and soft tissue disorders. Balneotherapy can be also applicable in prevention of many diseases and rehabilitation. At present, because there are several chemicals of synthetic origin, there is a need to search for nonpharmacological approaches and explore natural healing sources, which better fit the human body. Compared to synthetic drugs, these resources rarely show side effects, which increases the comfort of therapy. The use of natural medicinal resources in the form of treatments in health resort medicine centers under the supervision of balneologists, combined with the healing properties of the climate, contributes not only to the reduction of treatment time for many diseases but also to improvement of therapy's results. The article discusses natural medicinal resources and some of their therapeutic applications.

[Overall migartion testing with alternative fatty food simulants]. / Badania migracji globalnej z zastosowaniem alternatywnych plynów modelowych zywnosci zawierajacej tluszcz.

Overall migration from commercial samples of food plastics packaging into 95% ethanol and isooctane--the alternative fatty food simulants--was determined. Testing conditions--time and temperature of the contact of food packaging material with food simulants reflected real or predicted use of given packaging. The analytical methods according to European Standard EN 1186 were used. Test methods by filling the artiecles, total immersion, forming a pouch or using the cell were used for migration as appropriate to allow contact with liquid food simulant only this surface which will come into the contact with food during normal use of the product. The overall migration from the samples of the tested products into both food simulants (95% ethanol and iso-octane) was well below the limit (10 mg/dm2), except of the migration from plasticized PVC films which markedly exceeded above limit, showing that these films must not be used for packaging of food containing fat. Application of food simulants as a alternative to olive oil markedly shortens analytical procedure and reduces workload, both important in routine testing.

[Determination of the overall migration of chemicals from the plastic packaging into the aqueous models of food using the EU methods]. / Oznaczanie migracji globalnej z opakowan zywnosci do wodnych plynów modelowych metodami zalecanymi w Unii Europejskiej.

Overall migration from food plastic packaging to aquatic food simulants (distilled water, 3% acetic acid) was determined according to the EU methods. Testing conditions (time and temperature) reflected normal use of tested food packaging. The overall migration studies using different food simulants (distilled water, 3% acetic acid) shows that the migration rate was very low, far below the allowed limit (10 mg/dm2). The high results of overall migration into 3% acetic acid (average 250.2 mg/dm2), markedly exceeding the allowed limit, was found in the case of multilayer film. It means that the multilayer film tested does not comply with the migration limit and it can not be used as a food packaging for the sour foodstuffs of pH below 4.5. Differences between the magnitude of overall migration into distilled water (0.5-1.1 mg/dm2) and 3% acetic acid are probably due to the presence of easy washable substances into the sour medium. From that reason the application of such food packaging materials must be limited.

[Substance migration and health quality of packaged food]. / Badania migracji i ocena jakosci zdrowotnej opakowan zywnosci.

According to legislation the producer is responsible for the product. Products placed on the market must be safe and the relevant documentation confirming the conformity of the product with the accepted limits of global and specific migration must be available from the producer. The provisions concerning acceptable migration limits (global and specific), stimulants and testing methods are set by the relevant regulations. Distilled water, 3% acetic acid, 10% ethanol and olive oil are used as stimulants of foodstuffs. The choice of an appropriate stimulant and testing conditions depends on the type of food expected to come in contact with packaging. According to provisions testing should be performed in the conditions, which possibly closely reflect actual or expected use of the packaging material, taking into account storage of the product as well as possible thermal processing. Test methods for global migration into stimulants using the cell, pouch, by immerse or by article filling are recommended. The criteria used to choose an appropriate testing method are set in European Standards EN 1186. A product meets the quality criteria as set by the legislation if the global migration from the packaging into stimulants does not exceed value of 10 mg/dm2 or 60 mg/kg and if the specific migration limit (SML), set for given substance is not exceeded.