Effect of sunlight exposure on the release of intentionally and/or non-intentionally added substances from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into water: Chemical analysis and in vitro toxicity Cristina Bach a,c,⇑ , Xavier Dauchy a , Isabelle Severin b , Jean-François Munoz a , Serge Etienne c , Marie-Christine Chagnon b a ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Hydrology, Water Chemistry Department, 40 rue Lionnois, 54000 Nancy, France b Derttech ‘‘Packtox’’, Nutox team, AgroSupDijon Nord, 1 Esplanade Erasme, 21000 Dijon, France c Institute Jean Lamour, UMR 7198, Department SI2M, Ecole des Mines de Nancy, University of Lorraine, Parc de Saurupt, CS 14234, 54042 Nancy, France article info Article history: Received 18 October 2013 Received in revised form 3 March 2014 Accepted 3 April 2014 Available online 13 April 2014 Keywords: PET-bottled waters Migration Sunlight NIAS Genotoxicity Endocrine disruption Aldehydes Antimony Chemical analysis abstract The effect of sunlight exposure on chemical migration into PET-bottled waters was investigated. Bottled waters were exposed to natural sunlight for 2, 6 and 10 days. Migration was dependent on the type of water. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and Sb migration increased with sunlight exposure in ultrapure water. In carbonated waters, carbon dioxide promoted migration and only formaldehyde increased slightly due to sunlight. Since no aldehydes were detected in non-carbonated waters, we conclude that sunlight exposure has no effect. Concerning Sb, its migration levels were higher in carbonated waters. No unpredictable NIAS were identified in PET-bottled water extracts. Cyto-genotoxicity (Ames and micronucleus assays) and potential endocrine disruption effects (transcriptional-reporter gene assays) were checked in bottled water extracts using bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium) and human cell lines (HepG2 and MDA-MB453-kb2). PET-bottled water extracts did not induce any toxic effects (cyto-geno- toxicity, estrogenic or anti-androgenic activity) in vitro at relevant consumer-exposure levels. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction PET is a polymer with very few additives used for its manufac- ture; plasticisers and antioxidants are not necessary to produce PET bottles and colorants are added only in small quantities. Acetaldehyde scavengers are used to minimise the formation of acetaldehyde during the melt-process. Also, titanium nitride nano- particles can be incorporated into PET bottle grade (EFSA, 2012). Even if starting substances and additives are strictly regulated by EU Regulation No. 10/2011, several substances known as NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) can be found in the final plastic material, due to complex formulations of polymers, processes and storage (e.g. impurities, degradation products, breakdown products, etc.) (EU, 2011). These substances can also migrate into foodstuffs. In addition, physical stress applied to a plastic material can modify the structure of its chemical ingredi- ents (with no toxicological concern) and generate NIAS which may have potential estrogenic and/or anti-androgenic activities (Yang, Yaniger, Jordan, Klein, & Bittner, 2011). According to EU Reg- ulation No. 1935/2004 (EU, 2004), ‘‘food contact materials must not transfer their constituents to food in quantities which could endanger human health’’. Furthermore, EU Regulation No. 10/2011 (EU, 2011) states that ‘‘the risk assessment of a substance should cover the substance itself, relevant impurities and foreseeable reaction and degradation products in the intended use’’. A polymer exposed to sunlight may undergo photochemical aging, which is the case with PET, which absorbs sunlight at a wavelength (k) range located at the end of UV light spectra (300 nm 6 k 6 330 nm). Exposing PET bottles to sunlight, which also increases the water’s temperature, raises questions about the formation of by-products and their migration into water, as a possible source of health hazards for the consumers. Few studies http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.04.020 0308-8146/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author at: ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Hydrology, Water Chemistry Department, 40 rue Lionnois, 54000 Nancy, France. E-mail address: cristina.bach@anses.fr (C. Bach). Food Chemistry 162 (2014) 63–71 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem