Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Phthalate Acid Esters in Bottled Drinking Water from Selected Brands in Delta State, Southern Nigeria

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers. However, they have the potential to migrate from plastic materials into the environment where they pose detrimental health impacts. Hence, they have gained wide attention. This study was therefore carried out to investigate the distribution and health risk assessment of PAEs in different bottled drinking water brands in Delta State, Southern Nigeria. Samples were collected from ten (10) bottled drinking water brands across eight (8) local government areas of the State. The 6-EPA controlled PAEs (DMP, DEP, DBP, BBP, DEHP and DNOP) and one uncontrolled PAEs (BEP) were investigated. The individual PAE concentrations ranged from 0.005 – 2.738 µg/L while the total concentration of PAEs in the different brands ranged from 0.023 - 4.361 µg/L. The predominant PAEs across the ten brands were DMP and BEP however DBP had the highest total concentration (4.392 μg/L) making it the main contributor to PAE levels in bottled drinking water brands. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference in the concentration of PAEs detected in the different bottled drinking water brands (p˃0.05). Health risk assessment indicated little non-carcinogenic risks from five controlled PAEs and little carcinogenic risk from DEHP. Continuous monitoring is however recommended to ensure than PAE levels in bottled drinking water remain within permissible limits. Our results therefore provides important information for the understanding of the distribution and potential health risks of PAEs in different bottled drinking water brands in Delta State.