Initial phthalates fingerprint and hydrochemical signature as key factors controlling phthalates concentration trends in PET-bottled waters during long storage times

Abstract

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) concentration in bottled water and different factors (water pH, storage time, sunlight exposure, and temperature) that affect/control them have become hot topics during recent years. Nevertheless, quite contradictory results and disagreements on the effects of these factors have been published. In an attempt to find some consensus on this topic, a comprehensive study considering the combined effect of long storage times (longer than a year) and the water hydrochemical signature (including water pH, elemental composition and the presence/absence of dissolved CO2) was performed using the four most commonly consumed bottled water brands on the Chilean market. Each water brand was analyzed between 10 or 14 different times, depending on the brand (in total 97 samples were studied). Following the concept of the hydrochemical signature typically used in hydrogeology to classify types of waters, the notion of a water phthalate fingerprint was proposed. Finally, concerning the effect of long storage times, this study demonstrates that all the trends (increase, decrease or steady) of the Total PAEs concentration are possible; and these trends are controlled by the specific hydrochemical signature and phthalate fingerprint of the bottled water.