Antimony Content of Natural Mineral Water in Korean Market and Migration into Water from Bottle Material

Abstract The knowledge on the migration of antimony (Sb) from PET bottles into the water is of greate concern. Antimony in all bottled water marketed in korea and in raw water was analyzed. The detection rate of antimony in total bottled water was 88 % and 100% in PET (Polyethylene terephthalate, PET), 55% in PC (Polycarbonate, PC) bottled water. 55% of raw water contained antimony. The average concentration of Sb in PET bottled water was 0.39 μg/L, higher than PC bottles (0.20 μg/L) and the raw water (0.22 μg/L). The migration of Sb into water that is stored in different conditions (room temperature, 45°C, and direct sunlight exposure) was investigated for 180 days. The migration tendency increased with the storage time and temperature. PET bottles showed a sharp increase of Sb concentration at 45°C, but there was no differences between the room temperature and sunlight exposure. The Sb migration in all simulated solution(deionized water, 4% acetic acid, and 20% ethanol) also increased with storage time and temperature. The Sb migration values ranged from 0.35 to 0.49 μg/L in all simulated solution, which was far below the permissible korean migration level of 40 μg/L. There was a tendency that the number of re-use of a bottle and the amount of leaching were in inverse proportion.