Assessment of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in bottled water: A cross-sectional study in Algiers and risk assessment in pregnant women.

The consumption of bottled water packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has increased considerably worldwide, raising concerns about the quality of bottled water due the potential release of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This study investigates the occurrence and levels of 12 EDCs, including phthalates, bisphenols, parabens, and benzophenones, in bottled water and assesses their potential health risks for pregnant women, providing crucial insights into the safety of PET-bottled water. The release of these chemicals consumed in common storage conditions was also investigated. EDCs levels were measured in five different brands of bottled water collected from three different locations in Algiers. Migration of EDCs in bottled water was investigated under different storage conditions (room temperature, refrigerator temperature, and freezing conditions) at various durations. EDCs were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction and quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). An exposure assessment was performed to evaluate health risks in pregnant women via the calculation of safety indexes. The study detected diethyl phthalate (DEP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n‑butyl phthalate (DnBP), bisphenol A (BPA), propylparaben (PP), benzophenone-1 (BP-1), and benzophenone-3 (BP-3) in bottled water with detection frequencies of 40 %, 100 %, 100 %, 20 %, 40 %, 20 %, and 40 %, and corresponding mean concentrations of 0.160, 4.675, 4.380, 0.035, 0.026, 0.017, and 0.091 ng/mL, respectively. Among the investigated EDCs, only DEP, DEHP, DnBP, and BPA were detected in PET bottles (40 %, 80 %, 80 %, and 20 %, respectively) with measured amounts showing a positive correlation with temperature and storage duration. The estimated daily intake of EDCs from bottled water was below established reference values, except for DnBP (5.753 %) and DEHP (1.562 %), where the concentrations in highly exposed individuals exceeded the recommendations made by the World Health organization (WHO). The highest hazard quotient (HQ) for EDCs intake via bottled water consumption was lower than 1, indicating that adverse effects are unlikely. This study provides the first evidence of EDCs in bottled water in Algeria. Overall, these findings suggest that PET-bottled water poses minimal risks as a source of EDCs exposure when appropriate storage conditions are maintained. The measured EDC levels remain below safety thresholds and are considered safe from a public health perspective. These findings provide valuable data regarding to the understanding of EDC migration from packaging, helping to minimize exposure to EDCs and inform consumers about safe storage practices.