CHEMICAL AND IN-VITRO TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS OF WATER PACKAGED IN POLYVINYL-CHLORIDE AND POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE BOTTLES

This study proposed a new strategy assessing the health risks of miner al water packaging and compared the chemical analytical techniques and some in vitro cytotoxicological assays for the study of PVC and PET m aterials at the main stages of the manufacturing process of bottles. T hese evaluations were carried out with food simulant (deionized-endoto xin-tested water) and with natural mineral water in real conditions of packaging and storage (from 0 to 24 months). The complementarity of t hese two approaches is discussed. Some analytical and cytotoxic abnorm alities were detected in the food simulant after contact with the batc hes of powdered PVC compound, PET resin and their intermediate steps o f transformation (PVC-'paraison', PET-'preform'). But these results di d not reflect the actual behaviour of the finished PVC and PET bottles , for which no major abnormality was detected in the natural mineral w ater.