Bisphenols and Phthalates in Bottled Mineral Water: First Evidence of Co-Occurrence, Estrogenic Activity, and Health...

Bisphenol A (BPA), its structural analogs, and phthalates are synthetic chemicals widely used, with documented endocrine-disrupting activity. This study aimed to develop and validate a selective multiresidue analytical method for the simultaneous determination of BPA, 10 bisphenol analogs, and six phthalates in PET-bottled mineral water. To our knowledge, this is the first report assessing the co-occurrence of these contaminants in bottled mineral water in Brazil. Six commercial bottled water brands were sampled under two storage conditions: ambient temperature and solar exposure. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was applied before GC-MS analysis. Among the 17 target analytes, BPA, BPF, BPS, and DIOP were detected in quantifiable concentrations. BPF and DIOP were found in all samples, with maximum concentrations of 7.92 and 3.85 μg L^-1, respectively. BPA and BPS were detected in specific brands only after sunlight exposure, reaching up to 7.10 and 9.08 μg L^-1, respectively. Despite concentrations being below current international regulatory limits, health risk assessment revealed that the estimated daily intake (EDI) of BPF and BPS resulted in safety factors (SF) below 1 for both adults and children, indicating a potential health concern. Estrogen equivalency (EEQ) values associated with BPA, BPF, BPS, and DIOP ranged from 0.5 to 13 ng E₂/L, exceeding effect-based trigger values proposed for estrogenic activity in bottled mineral water. The results suggest that even BPA-free labeled packaging may pose a risk due to the presence of its analogs and highlight the need for expanded regulatory oversight and routine monitoring of endocrine-disrupting compounds in bottled water.