POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE BOTTLES (PRBS) - A HEALTH AND SAFETY ASSESSMENT

As part of a multi-client project, the potential public health risks o f the reuse of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) refillable bottles (PR Bs) following possible misuse has been investigated. Participants in t he project provided data and information from previous studies conduct ed independently at contract laboratories. These studies were sponsore d by the clients in order to provide further research data on PET cont ainers and their safety. In this report, the results of five of these studies along with the results of a recent study carried out at TNO ar e compiled and reported. PET refillable bottles were exposed to 62 con taminants, including pesticides, that a consumer could potentially sto re in bottles. After storage with a contaminant under well defined con ditions, the bottles were washed, filled with a simulated beverage, an d stored for various lengths of time. The beverage and in some cases t he bottle wall were then analysed for the presence of the contaminants . Toxicological evaluation of the analytical results from these tests on contaminant residue remigration showed that even under exaggerated exposure conditions, there was no public health concern. Only one comp ound, parathion, remigrated to a level that required a more in-depth r isk evaluation, and under the most conservative assumptions, it too pr esented no real health hazard. Additionally, current detection systems employed to ensure product quality detect a wide variety of contamina nts, including commercial formulations of parathion. Data developed in this paper are consistent with the finding that PRBs can be safely re used. For preventing negative effects on product quality (e.g. taste), however, good manufacturing procedures including visual and electroni c inspection systems are required to eliminate abused bottles.