Carbonyl compound leaching from polyethylene terephthalate into bottled water under sunlight exposure

• Published in: Toxicological and environmental chemistry Vol. 98; no. 2; pp. 167 - 178
• Main Authors: Abboudi, Maher, Odeh, Adnan, Aljoumaa, Khaled
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 07.02.2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: acetaldehyde; acetone; Aldehydes; Bottled water; Bottles; Carbonyl compounds; Cations; Dissolution; Exposure; formaldehyde; FTIR; Leaching; PET-bottled water; photo-degradation; Photodegradation; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polyethylene terephthalates; Sunlight
• ISSN: 1029-0486; 0277-2248; 1029-0486
• DOI: 10.1080/02772248.2015.1116001

Polyethylene terephthalate bottles containing natural spring water were used to study the leaching effect of carbonyl compounds after one year storage under real conditions of exposure. Ultraviolet-B and ultraviolet-A spectra of direct sunlight were acquired during the experiment. Leaching of acetone, acetaldehyde, and formaldehyde reached steady state after 210 days of outdoor storage, with the following concentrations: 434 ± 22, 345 ± 18, and 94 ± 5 µg/L, respectively. The increase due to sunlight exposure in comparison with laboratory storage in the dark was around 10%, 16%, and 36%. The leaching process of all three carbonyl compounds was found to follow the first-order kinetics. Photo-degradation of Polyethylene terephthalate bottles and the appearance of carboxyl end-groups were followed by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectra. After 313 days of storage under direct sunlight, new peaks appeared in the regions of 1770–1920 cm ⁻¹ and 1685–1490 cm ⁻¹. Cations, anions, total dissolved solids, pH, and conductivity were also measured during the storage period. Additionally, microbiological measurements as well as statistical analyses were also carefully discussed.