Impact of temperature and storage time on the migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers into bottled water in Qatar

Study on the effect of different contact times on the migration of heavy metals into different foodstuffs served in plastic cups

Heavy metal concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu leaching from single-use plastic cups were identified, and the risks associated with them were assessed in real time (up to 10 min). All samples (tea, carbonated beverage, and lassi) were placed in disposable plastic cups and held for less than 1 min, 5 min, and 10 min, respectively. Prior to digestion, the solids were ashed in a muffle furnace at 550 °C for 30 min. The filtrates were then tested for heavy metals. The samples were all confirmed to be contaminated with heavy metals. Heavy metals leached from the plastic cups in the following order: Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. The samples' HI values were less than one, hence there was no evidence of a non-carcinogenic risk. The ILCR values for this heavy metal contamination in samples exceed 10-3, indicating a high carcinogenic risk. Lassi poses the highest possible carcinogenic risk. A rise in temperature and a drop in pH also resulted in heavy metal migration. Heavy metal leaching from plastic cups poses a serious health risk due to its toxicity. The proposed legislation should prohibit or restrict the serving of warm and hot beverages in plastic cups.

Microplastic pollution in soils, plants, and animals: A review of distributions, effects and potential mechanisms

Increasing production of synthetic plastics and poor management of plastic wastes have dramatically increased the amount of plastics in the environment. In 2014, at the first United Nations Environment Assembly, marine plastic waste pollution was listed as one of the 10 most pressing environmental issues. In addition, there is much plastic waste in terrestrial ecosystems due to substantial residues from agricultural mulching and packing. As a recently recognized pollutant, microplastics (MPs) have attracted significant attention from the public and various governments. Concentrations of MPs in the environment vary among locations, from <100 to >1 × 10⁶ particles per cubic meter. Many studies have addressed the impacts and potential mechanisms of MPs on the environment and organisms. Humans and other organisms can ingest or carry MPs in a variety of passive ways and these MPs can have a range of negative effects on metabolism, function, and health. Additionally, given their large surface area, MPs can sorb various pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, with serious implications for animals and human wellbeing. However, due to their complexity and a lack of accurate determination methods, the systematic impacts of MP pollution on whole foodwebs are not clearly established. Therefore, this review summarizes current research advances in MP pollution, particularly the impact of MPs on soils, plants, and animals, and proposes potential future research prospects to better characterize MPs.

Predicting factors of public awareness and perception about the quality, safety of drinking water, and pollution incidents

Public perception of drinking water quality and safety results from the interaction of multiple factors, including the public engagement, which requires sufficient knowledge and awareness. This issue has yet to be addressed in Algeria. This study investigated the residents' perception and awareness about the drinking water quality, safety, and water pollution events. A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted amongst citizens living in the province of Biskra. Multinomial regression analysis was used to identify the predicted public perception factors about drinking water-related issues. Regardless of the degree of public trust in the drinking water sources, the main drinking water source reported by the participants was tank water (43.3%) followed by tap water (32%). Water quality standards are a measure of the condition of water relative to the contaminants. Water consumption profiles gave priority attention to taste (48.7%), odour (35%), appearance (34.7%), and colour (32%), reflecting a low level of knowledge about the water quality standards. Most of the residents (55.7%) reported a deficient communication about the preventive measures to protect public health. The higher level of education showed a statistically significant impact in discriminating between those who felt very satisfied and dissatisfied participants with the drinking water quality and those who felt between satisfied and dissatisfied (P = 0.023, P = 0.034, respectively). Additionally, education level had a statistically significant role in differentiating trust levels in drinking water quality between two groups, those belonging to either confident or relatively confident and the group of extremely worried respondents, with P = 0.000 and P = 0.000, respectively. Interviewed respondents with certain education levels showed higher trust in the safety of drinking water when compared to those with lower education levels. Gender had a significant role in differentiating the group of respondents who were relatively confident from those who were extremely worried (P = 0.016). The public knowledge about the standards of water quality, safety, and the pollution-related issues remains relatively low. This study is of interest to policy makers and public health authorities who implement actions for water contamination prevention and public health protection. These findings could have national implications and are also applicable, in general context, particularly in low and middle-income countries.

Assessing Knowledge and Use Practices of Plastic Food Packaging among Young Adults in South Africa: Concerns about Chemicals and Health

Chemicals associated with health problems can migrate from packaging into food matrices. Therefore, consumers need to be aware of health concerns associated with incorrectly used plastic food packaging. However, little is known about consumers’ knowledge and their plastics usage practices. This study assessed this knowledge and practices among young South African adult consumers. Our online survey of 293 participants focused on their objective (actual) and subjective (self-perceived) knowledge about plastic food packaging care and safety, their utilization practices, and their sources of information about safe use of plastics. Participants’ utilization practices showed broad misuse. Their subjective knowledge about the correct use of plastic packaging was in most respects contradicted by their limited objective knowledge. We found that plastic identification codes on packaging largely failed in their informative purpose; instead, participants mainly consulted informal information sources about plastics. The knowledge gaps, unsafe plastic use practices, and information source deficiencies identified here can help to guide future improvements. We call for consumer education, across all demographics, about plastic utilization practices and associated health concerns about plastic chemicals. We also highlight the need for the government, food and plastics industries to join forces in ensuring that consumers are informed about safe plastic packaging usage.

Antimony and PET bottles: Checking facts

Over the last 30 years, bottled water has gained in popularity reaching high sales world-wide. Most of this water is sold in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. About 15 years ago, the presence of antimony in water in those PET bottles raised concerns and studies on the subject have been regularly published since then. This review aims to evaluate whether the use of good analytical practices and the correct design of these studies support the accepted facts (i.e., PET is the origin of antimony presence in bottled waters, antimony concentrations are usually below regulated values, temperature increasing favours antimony leaching). The detailed analysis of published data has confirmed these facts but has also revealed frequency of faulty analytical practices and a lack of well-designed studies. A better understanding of the structure of PET polymer in the bottles, coupled with statistically-robust antimony release experiments, is required to progress in the field.

Determination of trace elements, heavy metals, and antimony in polyethylene terephthalate-bottled local raw cow milk of Iğdır region in Turkey

The presence of several trace elements, heavy metals, and antimony in polyethylene terephthalate-bottled local raw cow milk samples of Iğdır region in Turkey was investigated. The milk samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion. Milk samples were categorized into three groups according to the element level intensity in the sample. While 70% of samples showed 2.5 times the maximum Turkish and European permissible level of lead, the lowest lead-contaminated sample exhibited 1.25 times this level. All the examined samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit administrated for arsenic and 35% of samples exhibited 5 times this limit. Results showed 40% of samples contain an antimony level higher than the Turkish maximum allowable concentration. The high antimony content of raw milk samples may be related to the release of antimony from the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. This study showed high contamination levels of the most toxic trace elements, i.e., lead and arsenic in milk and possible antimony contamination from PET bottles which may cause many health hazards for the consumers.