Evaluation of occurrence of organic, inorganic, and microbial contaminants in bottled drinking water and comparison with international guidelines: a worldwide review (original) (raw)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of inorganic and organic substances as well as microbial contaminants in bottled drinking water on a global scale. The findings were compared to WHO guidelines, EPA standards, European Union (EU) directive, and standards drafted by International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). Our review showed that 46% of studies focused on the organic contaminants, 25% on physicochemical parameters, 12% on trace elements, 7% on the microbial quality, and 10% on microplastics (MPs) and radionuclides elements. Overall, from the 54 studies focusing on organic contaminants (OCs) compounds, 11% of studies had higher OCs concentrations than the standard permissible limit. According to the obtained results from this review, several OCs, inorganic contaminants (IOCs), including CHCl 3 , CHBrCl 2 , DEHP, benzene, styrene, Ba, As, Hg, pb, Ag, F, NO 3 , and SO 4 in bottled drinking water of some countries were higher than the international guidelines values that may cause risks for human health in a long period of time. Furthermore, some problematic contaminants with known or unknown health effects such as EDCs, DBP, AA, MPs, and some radionuclides (40 K and 222 Rn) lack maximum permissible values in bottled drinking water as stipulated by international guidelines. The risk index (HI) for OCs and IOCs (CHBrCl 2 , Ba, As, and Hg) was higher than 1 in adults and children, and the value of HI for CHCl 3 in children was more than 1. Thus, further studies are required to have a better understanding of all contaminants levels in bottled drinking water.