SPME-GC/MS Screening for Phthalates in Bottled Water

A joint study conducted by researchers at the Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology of the University of Palermo (Italy) and the Institute of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment of the National Research Council of Italy (Trapani, Italy) looked at whether phthalates leach into mineral water from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles (both new and recycled) and measured how much. The team developed and tested an eco-friendly method that does not use any solvents, using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and validated to detect the following four target phthalates: diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). A paper based on this work was published in the Journal of Mass Spectrometry.¹

Why is Bottled Water a Concern for Phthalate Exposure, and How is This Regulated?

Phthalates are man-made chemicals commonly used to make plastics softer and more flexible. They're one of the most common types of chemicals known to interfere with the body's hormones. Because these chemicals aren't chemically locked into the plastic, they can easily leach out into the air, food, and water around them.^2-4

In recent years, bottled water has become a major way people may be exposed to phthalates. Italy is a good example of this; its population drinks more bottled water than anyone else in Europe, going through about 252 liters per person each year, way more than the EU average of 88 liters.⁵

Since so much bottled water is packaged in PET plastic (both new and recycled), there is growing concern that phthalates could leach into the water, especially if bottles sit in heat or get stored for a long time. There are EU rules (Regulation No. 10/2011) that govern what plastics can touch food and drink. Under these rules, a handful of specific phthalates (including the four mentioned above) are allowed, but only in limited ways and for certain uses, not without restriction.⁶

How Well did the Researchers' Analytical Method Perform, and What Did It Reveal About Phthalate Levels in Bottled Water?

The researchers report that they were pleased with the analytical method they developed, finding it sensitive, accurate, consistent, and able to pick up even very small trace amounts of the chemicals. The team tested 17 bottled water samples: 11 from bottles made of regular (virgin) plastic and 6 from bottles made with recycled plastic, ranging from 30% to 100% recycled content. The phthalate levels they found ranged from about 2.2 to 19 micrograms per liter, with DEHP showing up the most. When they checked these levels against safety guidelines from European food safety regulators, they found that the amounts people would likely consume (for both adults and young children) were well within safe limits.¹

“These findings,” write the authors of the paper,¹ “confirm that the proposed method is suitable for routine screening of phthalates in mineral water and highlight the need for stricter quality controls in the recycled PET supply chain.”

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References

1. Lino, C.; Indelicato, S.; Bongiorno, D. et al. Green and Rapid Determination of Phthalates in Mineral Water from Virgin and Recycled PET Bottles. J Mass Spectrom. 2026, 61 (8), e70089. DOI: 10.1002/jms.70089
2. Locatelli, M.; Sciascia, F.; Cifelli, R. et al. Analytical Methods for the Endocrine Disruptor Compounds Determination in Environmental Water Samples. J Chromatogr A 2016, 1434, 1-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2016.01.034
3. Sokołowski, A.; Kończak, M.; Oleszczuk, P. et al. Environmental and Food Contamination by Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs): Overview. Water Air Soil Pollut.2024, 235 (5), 313. DOI: 10.1007/s11270-024-07121-5
4. Zaki, G.; Shoeib, T. Concentrations of Several Phthalates Contaminants in Egyptian Bottled Water: Effects of Storage Conditions and Estimate of Human Exposure. Sci Total Environ. 2018, 618, 142-150. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.337
5. ISTAT (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica), Le statistiche dell'Istat sull'acqua. Anni 2019-2021 (Istat Report, 2022), http://www.istat.it/it/files/2022/03/REPORTACQUA2022.pdf
6. European Commission, Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 of 14 January 2011 on Plastic Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food. OJEU 2011,12, 1–89.