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),