Occurrence of Phthalates in Bottled Drinks in the Chinese Market and Its Implications for Dietary Exposure

Abstract

Ubiquitous occurrences of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) or phthalates in a variety of consumer products have been demonstrated. Nevertheless, studies on their occurrence in various types of bottled drinks are limited. In this study, fifteen PAEs were analyzed in six categories of bottled drinks (n = 105) collected from the Chinese market, including mineral water, tea drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks, soft drinks, and beer. Among the 15 PAEs measured, DEHP was the most abundant phthalate with concentrations ranging from below the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 41,000 ng/L at a detection rate (DR) of 96%, followed by DIBP (DR: 88%) and DBP (DR: 84%) with respective concentration ranges of below LOQ to 16,000 and to 4900 ng/L. At least one PAE was detected in each drink sample, and the sum concentrations of 15 PAEs ranged from 770 to 48,004 ng/L (median: 6286 ng/L). Significant differences with respect to both PAE concentrations and composition profiles were observed between different types of bottled drinks. The median sum concentration of 15 PAEs in soft drinks was over five times higher than that detected in mineral water; different from other drink types. Besides DEHP, DBIP, and DBP, a high concentration of BMEP was also detected in a tea drink. The estimated daily dietary intake of phthalates (EDIdrink) through the consumption of bottled drinks was calculated based on the concentrations measured and the daily ingestion rates of bottled drink items. The EDIdrink values for DMP, DEP, DIBP, DBP, BMEP, DAP, BEEP, BBP, DCP, DHP, BMPP, BBEP, DEHP, DOP, and DNP through the consumption of bottled mineral water (based on mean concentrations) were 0.45, 0.33, 12.5, 3.67, 2.10, 0.06, 0.32, 0.16, 0.10, 0.09, 0.05, 0.81, 112, 0.13, and 0.20 ng/kg-bw/d, respectively, for Chinese adults. Overall, the EDIdrink values calculated for phthalates through the consumption of bottled drinks were below the oral reference doses suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).

Application of a Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Method Based on a Natural Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent for the Extraction of Plastic Migrants from Kombuchas

“…Kombucha samples contained a lower number of PAEs than analyzed tea drinks. Moreover, found concentrations (<LOQ–16.18 ± 1.14 µg/L) were similar [ 39 ] or even lower [ 38 ] than those found for other tea-based beverages.…”

“…In this regard, Wu et al [ 38 ] analyzed 12 tea drinks (sport drinks, coffee drinks and fruit juices were also analyzed) and detected DMP in the range <LOQ–19 µg/L, DEP: <LOQ–76 µg/L, DPP: <LOQ–71 µg/L, DBP: <LOQ; BBP: <LOQ–29 µg/L, and DEHP: 16–123 µg/L. Xue et al [ 39 ] analyzed 105 samples of six different types of drinks and detected DMP: <LOQ–1.30 µg/L, DEP: <LOQ–0.11 µg/L, DBP: <LOQ–3.60 µg/L, BBP: <LOQ–0.19 µg/L, and DEHP: 0.5–12.00 µg/L in tea drinks (22 samples). They also tested the influence of packaging materials (plastic, glass, metal and paper) on the PAEs concentration.…”

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

“…Концентрации определялись в диапазоне от нижнего предела обнаружения до 0,041 мг/л (ДЭГФ), 0,016 мг/л (ДиБФ), 0,0049 мг/л (ДнБФ). Результаты оценки риска с учетом средних значений оценивались как допустимые [25].…”

Leaching of phthalates from Plastic packaging into Fruit Juices marketed in Pakistan and their risk assessment

“…These PAEs are used in many products such as medical devices, toys, cosmetics, and plastic packaging (Xue et al 2021), which contributes 20-40% of DEHP by mass (Guo et al 2010, Liu et al 2008). While diisobutyl phthalate (DBP) is commonly used in the production of cellulose plastics and dye solvents.…”