Assessment of public health risks caused by phthalates migrating from polymer material to bottled water

At present, consumption of packaged drinking water is growing worldwide. In this regard, ensuring packaged drinking water safety, which directly depends on the composition and quality of used polymer materials, is becoming especially relevant. Bottles made of polymer materials, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate and polycarbonate, is the most common packaging for drinking water.

The aim of this study was to assess population health risks caused by exposure to phthalates migrating from polymer bottles into drinking water.

The study was carried out according to the requirements of the Customs Union Technical Regulation… on packaging and Instruction... on sanitary-chemical study of goods. Bottles and model media were analyzed using gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection. Risk assessment was performed according to the current guidelines.

The study findings allow to report the following phthalate levels in bottle samples: di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), 1.7–4.2 mg/kg; di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), <2.4–31.3 mg/kg; diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), 2.2–10.2 mg/kg. Phthalate migration into model media occurred from all analyzed samples: DEHP and DiBP migrated from Polyethylene terephthalate in quantities equal to 8.6–71.0 µg/l and from < 2.6 to 19.2 µg/l respectively; DEHP, DnBP, and DiBP migrated from polycarbonate, 31.5–43.5 µg/l, 4.8–6.2 µg/l, and 17.0–54.0 µg/l, respectively.

The identified phthalate levels are safe according to the performed assessment of health risks associated with chronic intake of harmful substances with drinking water. The values of the estrogenicity equivalent calculated for the analyzed phthalates in model samples of bottled water were seen at a minimum level in Russian Federation as compared to other countries.

The results of this study can be used in safety assessment of polymer bottles for drinking water.