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Phthalic acid and phthalate esters are of growing interest due to their significant usage and their potential toxicity. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and glass are both widely used materials for bottled drinking water. In this study, phthalic acid (PhA), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiisoBP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were analyzed in a large number of Italian bottled water samples. These samples showed different concentrations of phthalates being are nearly twenty times higher in samples bottled in PET than the ones from glass bottles with total levels of phthalates of 3.52 and 0.19 µg L-1 respectively. However, the observed levels do not represent a significant exposure pathway when considering the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference dose [an estimate of a daily oral exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime]. Also, no significant correlation was found between the phthalate concentrations and the physicochemical properties of the different water samples, apart from the still/sparkling water parameter for the PET samples. In this instance, slightly higher concentrations were observed for the PET bottled still water samples than for the sparkling water samples although no explanation has been found yet.

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