Investigation of carbonyl compounds in bottled waters from Poland

Poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) bottles are commonly used for storing mineral water. The migration of carbonyl compounds from PET bottles into mineral water was observed. Carbonation of water, sunlight and high temperature enhance the process of migration. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone were the most important carbonyls identified in series of bottled water samples. The concentration of carbonyls can change depending on the time of storage as well as storage conditions. It was identified particularly high concentration of acetaldehyde (more than 100 μg l−1) in samples of mineral water saturated with CO2 gas.