Bottled Mineral Water Samples Research Articles

Determination of parathion, aldicarb, and thiobencarb in tap water and bottled mineral water in Mashhad, Iran

Water is a necessity for life. Currently, because of different contaminations in tap water, most people prefer using bottled mineral waters. Pesticides (e.g., organophophorous, carbamates, etc.) are among the most dangerous chemicals that may be found in drinking waters, which can cause long- and short-term complications. Because all people consume at least 2 L of water per day, water-quality monitoring is vital. In this study, we determined the concentration of three pesticides (aldicarb, parathion, and thiobencarb) in 13 tap-water samples collected from 13 different urban areas and 10 samples of bottled mineral water in Mashhad, a major city in northeast Iran. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with a pulsed flame photometric detector after solid-phase extraction. Results showed that 2 of 13 tap-water samples and 2 of 10 bottled mineral water trademarks were contaminated either by parathion or by thiobencarb or both, with concentrations ranging between 0.6 and 0.8 ppb. According to the defined guideline values, determined concentrations of pesticides are below the permissible World Health Organization level for these toxic agents, and it is considered that drinking these tap waters and bottled mineral waters are safe for human consumption.

Determination of phthalate esters in water samples by ionic liquid cold-induced aggregation dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel method, termed ionic liquid cold-induced aggregation dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (IL-CIA-DLLME), combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the determination of three phthalate esters in water samples. Several important parameters influencing the IL-CIA-DLLME extraction efficiency, such as the type of extraction and disperser solvent, the volume of extraction and disperser solvent, temperature, extraction time and salt effect, were investigated. Under optimal extraction conditions, the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries ranged from 174 to 212 and 69.9 to 84.8%, respectively. Excellent linearity with coefficients of correlation from 0.9968 to 0.9994 was observed in the concentration range of 2–100 ng mL −1. The repeatability of the proposed method expressed as relative standard deviations ranged from 2.2 to 3.7% ( n = 5). Limits of detection were between 0.68 and 1.36 ng mL −1. Good relative recoveries for phthalate esters in tap, bottled mineral and river water samples were obtained in the ranges of 91.5–98.1%, 92.4–99.2% and 90.1–96.8%, respectively. Thus, the proposed method has excellent potential for the determination of phthalate esters in the environmental field.

Determination of As and in mineral waters by fast sequential continuous flow hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry.

In this study, a novel analytical method which consists of a combination of Fast Sequential Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FS-FAAS) and Continuous Flow Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CF-HGAAS) is proposed. The method developed was employed for the sequential determination of As and Sb at sub-μg L-1 levels in bottled mineral waters. A strong enhancement in the analytical throughput was obtained when compared with the traditional mono-element CF-HGAAS with a quartz tube atomizer (QTA). Variables which would affect the method performance such as Ar flow rate, HCl and NaBH4 concentrations as well as delay and integration time were optimized. A flame atomic absorption spectrometer working in fast sequential mode was used in all experiments. After just 20 s of read delay, As and Sb were sequentially determined in 6 s (3 s each element). A 26-2 fractional factorial design was employed for studies of potential interferents with transition metals that could be present in mineral water samples. Limits of detection obtained for As and Sb were 0.15 and 0.14 μg L-1, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was checked by the use of 2 certified reference materials: Trace elements in water (NIST 1643e) and Trace metals in drinking water (HPS TMDW). Good agreement between certified and found concentrations was observed. Finally, As and Sb were determined in commercial bottled mineral water samples. Adequate sensitivity, high throughput and minimization of reagents and sample consumption are the attractive features of this new method.

Boron determination in a multi element national water monitoring program: the absence of legal limits

Directive 98/83/EC concerning the drinking water quality and Directive 80/777/EC for Natural Mineral Water demand strict control and monitoring for the presence of metals. The State General Laboratory as the official control laboratory (Accredited by ISO 17025:2005) implements a national monitoring program in order to ensure that the drinking and natural mineral water quality satisfy the requirements of the respective Directives. The National Monitoring program covers mainly metals such as Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, As, Se, Sb, Hg, Mn, Cu, Fe, Al and B in water supplied for human consumption either by distribution networks, vending machines, mobile water containers, ground water intended for human consumption as well as bottled water. The determination of metals in water by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) is a technique that successfully meets the requirements of the above Directives as it is a very powerful tool for the measurement of metals at very low concentrations with high accuracy and precision. The results obtained indicate that metal concentrations in drinking and bottled water examined were by far, below the acceptable legal limits and even below the relevant detection limits. However, in samples of bottled natural mineral water, high boron concentration were determined and risk assessment was performed due to the absence of relevant legal limits. The present paper demonstrates the steps undertaken by the General Water Analysis Laboratory of the SGL for the validated method used by ICP-MS in the determination of trace metals including boron in drinking and bottled water.

먹는 샘물 중 bromate 분석 및 분포 특성

먹는 물 중 bromate의 국내 외 시험방법에 대한 분석 조건을 비교하여 최적 시험조건을 확인하고 ion chromatograph-suppressed conductivity detector (IC-CD)를 사용하여 먹는 샘물 중 bromate 함량을 분석하였다. 시료 전처리를 위해 먹는 샘물 20 mL를 온가드 Ba-, Ag-, H-카트리지 순서대로 통과시키고 마지막에 <TEX>$0.2\;{\mu}m$</TEX> 맴브레인 필터로 여과 하였다. 여과한 시료는 IC-CD에 주입하였으며, 시료 중 bromate는 10~50 mM의 KOH 이동상 및 수산화이온용액 이동상에 적합한 가드 및 분석용 컬럼인 AG 19 및 AS 19에 의해 분리하였다. Bromate의 검정 곡선은 <TEX>$0.5\sim40\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>의 농도 범위에서 <TEX>$r^2$</TEX>값이 0.9998로 좋은 직선성을 보였으며, 방법검출한계(MDL) 및 정량한계(LOQ)는 각각 0.1, <TEX>$0.5\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>이었다. 2009년 9월 이후 유통 중인 먹는 샘물 157 개 시료를 분석한 결과, 33 개 시료에서 bromate가 검출되었으며, 검출된 시료의 평균농도는 <TEX>$2.4\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX> 이었다. 측정 농도 범위는 <TEX>$0.5\sim6.5\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>로 모두 국내 먹는샘물 수질기준인 <TEX>$10\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX> 이내였다. This study was performed to compare international analytical methods of bromate and applied to determine bromate in bottled mineral water in Korea. Bromate in bottled mineral water was eluted by 10~50 mM potassium hydroxide (KOH) and determined by ion chromatograph-suppressed conductivity detector (ICCD). Sample was purified with on guard Ba-, Ag- and H-cartridges and <TEX>$0.2\;{\mu}m$</TEX> membrane filter. The method detection limit (MDL) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) of bromate were 0.1 and <TEX>$0.5\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>, respectively. The calibration curve showed good lineality above 0.9998 in the ranges of the <TEX>$0.5\sim40\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>. Bromate from 33 samples among total 157 bottled mineral water samples was detected in the concentration range of <TEX>$0.5\sim6.5\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>. The detected concentrations were within bottled mineral water quality criteria (<TEX>$10\;{\mu}g/L$</TEX>) in Korea.

Water Pollution with Special Reference to Pesticide Contamination in India

The pesticides belong to a category of chemicals used worldwide as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, ro-denticides, molluscicides, nematicides, and plant growth regulators in order to control weeds, pests and dis-eases in crops as well as for health care of humans and animals. The positive aspect of application of pesti-cides renders enhanced crop/food productivity and drastic reduction of vector-borne diseases. However, their unregulated and indiscriminate applications have raised serious concerns about the entire environment in general and the health of humans, birds and animals in particular. Despite ban on application of some of the environmentally persistent and least biodegradable pesticides (like organochlorines) in many countries, their use is ever on rise. Pesticides cause serious health hazards to living systems because of their rapid fat solu-bility and bioaccumulation in non-target organisms. Even at low concentration, pesticides may exert several adverse effects, which could be monitored at biochemical, molecular or behavioral levels. The factors af-fecting water pollution with pesticides and their residues include drainage, rainfall, microbial activity, soil temperature, treatment surface, application rate as well as the solubility, mobility and half life of pesticides. In India organochlorine insecticides such as DDT and HCH constitute more than 70% of the pesticides used at present. Reports from Delhi, Bhopal and other cities and some rural areas have indicated presence of sig-nificant level of pesticides in fresh water systems as well as bottled drinking mineral water samples. The ef-fects of pesticides pollution in riverine systems and drinking water in India has been discussed in this review.

A novel indicator reaction for the catalytic determination of V(V) at ppb levels by the kinetic spectrophotometric method

A novel sensitive and relatively selective kinetic method is presented for the determination of V(V), based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation reaction of Ponceau Xylydine by potassium bromate in presence of 5-sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) as activator. The reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in absorbance of Ponceau Xylydine at 640 nm between 0.5 to 7 min (the fixed time method) in H3PO4 medium at 25oC. The effect of various parameters such as concentrations of H3PO4, SSA, bromate and Ponceau Xylydine, temperature and ionic strength on the rate of net reaction were studied. The method is free from most interferences, especially from large amounts of V(IV). The decrease in absorbance is proportional to the concentration of V(V) over the entire concentration range tested (1-15 ng mL−1) with a detection limit of 0.46 ng mL-1 (according to statistical 3Sblank/k criterion) and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.8% (for ten replicate measurement at 95% confidence level). The proposed method suffers few interferences such as Cr(VI) and Hg(II) ions. The method was successfully applied to the determination of V(V) in tap water, drinking water, bottled mineral water samples and a certified standard reference material such as SRM-1640 with satisfactory results. The vanadium contents of water samples were also determined by FAAS for a comparison. The recovery of spiked vanadium(V) was found to be quantitative and the reproducibility was satisfactory. It was observed that the results of the SRM 1640 were in good agreement with the certified value.

Separation and preconcentration of aluminum in parenteral solutions and bottled mineral water using different analytical techniques

A new method is reported for the separation of aluminum ions [Al(III)] from interfering elements in parenteral and pharmaceutical solutions (PS) and bottled mineral water (BMW) samples, through solid-phase extraction with 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (quinaldine) adsorbed onto activated silica gel. While the enrichment step of separated Al(III) was carried out by cloud point extraction (CPE) using 8-hydroxyquinoline as complexing reagent, the resulted complex was entrapped in a non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114). The enriched Al(III) in sample solutions were determined by spectrofluorometry (SPF) at λ excitation 370 nm and λ emission 510 nm, and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for comparative purpose. The variables affecting the complexation and extraction steps were studied and optimized. The validity of methodology was checked with certified reference material of water and standard addition method. The enrichment factor and detection limit of Al(III) for the preconcentration of 50 ml of PS and BMW were found to be 100 and 0.25 μg/L, respectively. The proposed method has been applied for the determination of trace amount of Al(III) in PS and BMW samples with satisfactory results. In PS the levels of Al(III) are above than permissible limit (25 μg/L).

Bacteriological quality and risk assessment of the imported and domestic bottled mineral water sold in Fiji

Considering the popularity of bottled mineral water among indigenous Fijians and tourists alike, a study was carried out to determine the bacteriological quality of different bottled waters. A risk assessment was also carried out. Seventy-five samples of bottled mineral water belonging to three domestic brands and 25 samples of one imported brand were analysed for heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria and faecal coliforms. HPC counts were determined at 22 degrees C and 37 degrees C using R2A medium and a membrane filtration technique was used to determine the faecal coliform (FC) load in 100 ml of water on mFC agar. Between 28 and 68% of the samples of the various domestic brands failed to meet the WHO standard of 100 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 ml at 22 degrees C and 7% of these also tested positive for faecal coliforms. All imported bottled mineral water samples were within WHO standards. A risk assessment of the HPC bacteria was carried out in terms of beta haemolytic activity and antibiotic resistance. More than 50% of the isolates showed beta haemolytic activity and were multi-drug resistant. While the overall quality of the product was generally good, there is a need to enforce stringent quality standards for the domestic bottlers to ensure the safety of consumers.

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS: Estrogens in a Bottle?

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS: Estrogens in a Bottle?

Surveillance of Perchlorate Level in Leafy Vegetables and Bottled Water

Perchlorate (ClO(4)(-)) is both a naturally occurring and artificial compound, and it inhibits iodide uptake into the thyroid gland and disturbs thyroid function. It has been detected in many foods in the United States. In order to investigate perchlorate contamination in foods in Japan, perchlorate level in 82 leafy vegetable samples and 20 bottled mineral water samples was measured using a procedure based on the FDA's procedure, employing IC-MS/MS with (18)O(4)-labeled perchlorate as an internal standard. Among 82 leafy vegetable samples tested, perchlorate levels were under the LOQ (0.3 ng/g) in 3 samples and ranged from 0.3 ng/g to 29.7 ng/g in 79 samples. In 20 bottled water samples, perchlorate was under the LOQ (0.1 ng/mL) in 14 samples and ranged from 0.14 ng/mL to 0.35 ng/mL in 6 samples.

Flow Injection Analysis for Oxidation State Speciation of Vanadium(IV) and Vanadium(V) in Natural Water

A sensitive and simultaneous spectrophotometric flow injection method for the determination of vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) is proposed. The method is based on the effect of ligands such as 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPTZ) and diphosphate on the conditional redox potential of iron(III)/iron(II) system. A four-channel flow system is assembled. In this flow system, diluted hydrochloric acid (1.0 x 10(-2) mol dm(-3)) as a carrier for standard/sample, acetate buffer (pH 5.5) as a carrier for diphosphate solution, an equimolar mixed solution of iron(III) and iron(II) and a TPTZ solution are delivered, so that the baseline absorbance can be established by forming a constant amount of iron(II)-TPTZ complex (lambda(max) = 593 nm). Vanadium(IV) and/or vanadium(V) (400 microL) and diphosphate (200 microL) solutions are simultaneously introduced into the flow system; in this system the diphosphate solution passes through a delay coil. The potential of the iron(III)/iron(II) system increases in the presence of TPTZ, and therefore vanadium(IV) is easily oxidized by iron(III) to vanadium(V) to produce an iron(II)-TPTZ complex (a positive peak for vanadium(IV) appears). On the other hand, the potential of the redox system decreases in the presence of diphosphate, so that vanadium(V) can be easily reduced by iron(II) to vanadium(IV). In this case, the amount of iron(II) decreases according to the amount of vanadium(V). As a result, the produced iron(II)-TPTZ complex decreases (a negative peak for vanadium(V) appears). In this manner, two peaks for vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) can be alternately obtained. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) are 1.98 x 10(-7) and 2.97 x 10(-7) mol dm(-3) for vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V), respectively. The method is applied to the simultaneous determination of vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) in commercial bottled mineral water samples.

238U, 232Th, 222Rn, AND 220Rn CONCENTRATIONS MEASURED IN VARIOUS BOTTLED MINERAL WATERS AND RESULTING RADIATION DOSES TO THE MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN POPULATION LIVING IN THE CITY OF MARRAKECH (MOROCCO)

U, Th, Rn, and Rn concentrations were measured in thirteen bottled mineral water samples from Morocco, France, and Italy widely consumed by the European population living in the city of Marrakech (Morocco) by using CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). K contents were also evaluated in the same mineral water samples. The measured concentrations of U, Th, Rn, Rn, and K ranged from (4.2 +/- 0.2) mBq L to (8.6 +/- 0.6) mBq L, (0.90 +/- 0.05) mBq L to (3.4 +/- 0.3) mBq L, (4.2 +/- 0.2) Bq L to (8.6 +/- 0.6) Bq L, (0.91 +/- 0.06) Bq L to (3.4 +/- 0.2) Bq L and 15 mBq L to 1,082 mBq L, respectively. Alpha activities due to the annual intakes of U, Th, and Rn were assessed in the tissues and organs of the human body of the considered consumers. Committed equivalent doses due to annual intakes of U, Th, and Rn were evaluated in the human body compartments of adult members of the European population living in Marrakech. The influence of the target tissue mass and activities due to U, Th, and Rn on the annual committed equivalent doses in the compartments of the human body was investigated.

Application of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of three phthalate esters in water samples

A novel method, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-variable wavelength detector (HPLC-VWD), has been developed for the determination of three phthalate esters (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and di- n-butyl phthalate (DnBP)) in water samples. A mixture of extraction solvent (41 μL carbon tetrachloride) and dispersive solvent (0.75 mL acetonitrile) were rapidly injected into 5.0 mL aqueous sample for the formation of cloudy solution, the analytes in the sample were extracted into the fine droplets of CCl 4. After extraction, phase separation was performed by centrifugation and the enriched analytes in the sedimented phase were determined by HPLC-VWD. Some important parameters, such as the kind and volume of extraction solvent and dispersive solvent, extraction time and salt effect were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum extraction condition, the method yields a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 5 to 5000 ng mL −1 for target analytes. The enrichment factors for DMP, DEP and DnBP were 45, 92 and 196, respectively, and the limits of detection were 1.8, 0.88 and 0.64 ng mL −1, respectively. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) for the extraction of 10 ng mL −1 of phthalate esters were in the range of 4.3–5.9% ( n = 7). Lake water, tap water and bottled mineral water samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method.

Dynamic liquid-phase microextraction of three phthalate esters from water samples and determination by gas chromatography

A fast and simple method, which involves dynamic liquid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, has been developed to facilitate the identification and quantification of three phthalate esters (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and di- n-butyl phthalate (DnBP)) in water samples. Experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as extraction solvent, solvent volume, dwell time and extraction frequency were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the method yields a linear calibration curve over three orders of magnitude for the target analytes. The limits of detection of DMP, DEP and DnBP were 4.30, 0.66 and 0.43 ng mL −1, respectively, and relative standard deviations at the 100 ng mL −1 level were 6.4%, 5.4% and 5.2%, respectively ( n = 6). Lake water, tap water and bottled mineral water samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method.

Natural radioactivity of some spring and bottled mineral waters from several Central Balkan sites, as a way of their characterization

In this work, a study of the radioactive content of some spring and bottled mineral waters originating from metamorphic rock areas was carried out. A high content of radium isotopes (226Ra, 228Ra), was found by radiometric analysis in the spring waters: Studenica (226Ra: 289 mBq/L), Cibutkovica (226Ra: 92, 4 mBq/L, 228Ra: 610 mBq/L), and Crni Guber (226Ra: 120 mBq/L, 228Ra: 1170 mBq/L). On the other hand, the radiochemical results showed a higher concentration of 238U in the bottled mineral water samples (dissolved uranium concentrations were from 0.21 mBq/L, for "Kopaonik" to 71.5mBq/L fo "Skadarska") than in the spring water samples (dissolved uranium concentrations were very low ?10 mBq/L). The concentrations of all the present naturally occuring radionuclides: 238U, 234U, 232Th, 230Th, 228Th, 228Ra and 226Ra were determined by alpha/gamma spectrometric analysis. The activity ratios 234U/238U, 226Ra/230Th and 228Th/232Th, 228Ra/228Th were calculated and are discussed as an indication of the radioactive disequilibrium in bothe the 238U and 232Th radioactive series. The high contents of radium isotopes with respect to the equilibrium values expected from the respective parents 232Th/(232Th series) and 230Th (238U series) found in the spring water samples is the main evidence for the existence of significant radioactive disequilibrium in both the radioactive series. .

Considerations on ultra-trace analysis of phthalates in drinking water

Stir bar sorptive extraction with liquid desorption followed by large volume injection and capillary gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (SBSE-LD/LVI-GC–MS), had been applied for the determination of ultra-traces of seven-phthalates (dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, di- n-butyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and bis(1-octyl) phthalate) in drinking water samples, which are included in the priority lists set by several international regulatory organizations. Instrumental calibration under the selected-ion monitoring mode acquisition (LVI-GC–MS(SIM)), experimental parameters that could affect the SBSE-LD efficiency, as well as, the control of the contamination profile are fully discussed. Throughout systematic assays on 30 mL water samples spiked at the 0.40 μg/L level, it had been established that stir bars coated with 47 μL of polydimethylsiloxane, an equilibrium time of 60 min (1000 rpm) and methanol as back extraction solvent, allowed the best analytical performance to monitor phthalates in water matrices. From the data obtained, good accuracy and a remarkable reproducibility (< 14.8%) were attained, providing experimental recovery data in agreement with the theoretical equilibrium described by the octanol–water partition coefficients ( K PDMS/W≈ K O/W), with the exception of bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and bis(1-octyl) phthalate, for which lower yields were measured. Additionally, a remarkable linear dynamic range between 25 and 2000 ng/L ( r 2 > 0.99 ) and low detection limits (3–40 ng/L) were also achieved for the seven-phthalates studied. The application of the present method to monitor phthalates in tap and bottled mineral water samples, allowed convenient selectivity and high sensitivity up to 1.0 μg/L level, using the standard addition methodology. The proposed method showed to be feasible and sensitive with a low sample volume requirement to monitor phthalates in drinking water matrices at the ultra-trace level, in compliance with international regulatory directives on water quality.

Single-column method of ion chromatography for the determination of common cations and some transition metals

A single-column method for the simultaneous determination of common cations and transition metals in real samples is proposed in this paper. Eleven cations (copper, lithium, sodium, ammonium, potassium, cobalt, nickel, magnesium, calcium, strontium and zinc) were separated and analyzed by means of ion chromatography using an isocratic elution with 2.5 mM methane sulfonic acid and 0.8 mM oxalic acid as mobile phase, IonPac SCS1 (250 mm × 4 mm I.D.) as the separation column and non-suppressed conductor detection. Optimized analytical conditions were further validated in terms of accuracy, precision and total uncertainty and the results showed the reliability of the IC method. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the retention time and peak area were less than 0.04 and 1.30%, respectively. The coefficients of determination for cations ranged from 0.9988 to 1.000. The method developed was successfully applied to determination of cations in samples of beer and bottled mineral water. The spiked recoveries for the cations were 94–106%. The method was applied to beer and beverage without interferences.

The occurrence of Aeromonas spp in drinking water

The presence of motile Aeromonas spp was investigated in a total of 730 samples of drinking water from different origins: 495 samples from the treated water distribution system, 208 from alternative water supply (65 from artesian wells, 69 from shallow wells, and 74 from springs), and 27 samples of bottled mineral water. The present study indicated that 6.3%, 55.3% and 11.1% of samples from treated water distribution system, alternative water supply, and bottled mineral water were contaminated with Aeromonas spp, respectively. The highest counts of Aeromonas spp were not always associated to the presence of faecal indicators. Aeromonas hydrophila was the most frequently isolated phenospecies in water, followed by Aeromonas caviae (9.8%) and Aeromonas sobria (0.6%). These findings show that further studies are necessary to evaluate the possible risks that the occurrence of Aeromonas spp may pose to public health.

Hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextraction of phthalate esters from water

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) technique using a hollow-fibre membrane, in conjunction with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry has been developed for the extraction and analysis of six phthalate esters in water samples. Parameters such as extraction solvent, agitation of the sample, salt addition and extraction time were controlled and optimised. The developed protocol was found to yield a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 0.02 to 10 μg l −1 for most target analytes and the limits of detection were in the low μg l −1 level, ranging between 0.005 and 0.1 μg l −1. The repeatability of the method varied between 4% and 11%. Under the present experimental conditions, the performance of the method was found comparable to that of solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The advantage of the proposed method over SPME was that it eliminated carry-over of analytes between runs. The applicability of the developed hollow-fibre LPME method and SPME was demonstrated for real water samples. The ability of both microextraction methods to concentrate many organic analytes was demonstrated as both methods allowed the confirmation of the presence of an extra contaminant (ethyl p-ethoxybenzoate) in bottled mineral water samples.