title: Endocrine disruptor phthalates in bottled water: daily exposure and health risk assessment in pregnant and lactating women.
abstract: Over the last decade, the consumption of water bottled in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has considerably increased, raising concerns over water quality and packaged materials. This study aims to investigate the levels of the anti-androgenic phthalates including bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), in bottled water and its corresponding health risks in pregnant and lactating women. The phthalate levels were measured in six different brands of bottled water exposed to temperatures ranging between -18 and 40 °C and sunlight for 45 days. The phthalate was quantified using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, the non-carcinogenic effects were assessed using hazard quotient (HQ) approach, and cumulative health risk assessment was performed on the basis of hazard index (HI) calculation. In order to assess the carcinogenic risk due to the possible carcinogen DEHP (group 2B), the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) was used. DEHP and DBP contaminants were detected at different storage conditions in all of the bottled water samples during the storage time. BBP was only detected at high temperature (≥25 °C) and outdoor conditions. The maximum concentrations of all phthalates were observed when water samples were kept at 40 °C. In contrast, storage at freezing conditions had no significant effect on the concentration level of all phthalates. The estimated intake by women was between 0.0021 μg/kg/day for BBP and 0.07 μg/kg/day for DEHP. The highest HQ for phthalate intake via bottled water consumption was much lower than 1 (HQ < 0.004), which implies that adverse effects are very unlikely to occur. The execution of a cumulative risk assessment for combined phthalate exposure demonstrated that the HIs for anti-androgenic effect were lower than 1 in all of the conditions. Furthermore, ELCR for DEHP based on the highest detected level was found to be less than 10(-6), which is considered acceptable. Our results prove that the levels of phthalates in bottled water are not a health concern for pregnant and lactating women. Consequently, PET-bottled water is not a major contributor to phthalate intake for most individuals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam Zare
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Jeddi
authors.affiliation: Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Noushin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rastkari
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmadkhaniha
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. yunesian@tums.ac.ir.|Center for water quality Research (CWQR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. yunesian@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Masud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yunesian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate / Q000032:analysis*; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate; C032279:phthalic acid; C027561:butylbenzyl phthalate
keywords: Bottled water; Cumulative risk assessment; Endocrine disruptor chemicals; Excess cancer risk; Hazard quotient; Phthalate