Overview
This page is a scaffolded entry for HMTc Taxonomy v2.0 Category 8 (Water and Water-Based Products), Row 1: Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian). Studies for this row are still being read. Where a section is empty, the row has not yet accumulated contributing sources of the required kind.
Reading guide
Legal, regulatory and retailer teams can use the cited measurements, applicable limits and study limitations to assess the evidence for this category.
Quality teams can examine product form, measurement basis and sources of variation. Journalists and researchers can follow each reference to the original findings and methods.
Related tools and pages: heavymetalcertified.com · methodology
Evidence summary
Evidence summary
The table below summarizes what the peer-reviewed and government literature cited on this page reports for heavy-metal concentrations in Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian). Values are pulled directly from cited sources without re-aggregation. This page publishes literature evidence only, not certification thresholds.
Methodology rules for speciation, basis preservation, non-detect handling, and source pooling are stated in the Methodology section above and apply to every row below.
| Analyte | Subcategory | Reported concentration range | Detection rate | Applicable regulatory cap | Sources | Confidence | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pb | Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian) (summary-only / supporting context) | mean/median 0.01 to 25 ppb (1 source); highest reported 259 ppb | Sample-level detection rate not reported | No applicable cap loaded | 2 cited | low (1-2 sources) | Basis not reported |
| Cd | Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian) (summary-only / supporting context) | highest reported 2230 ppb | Sample-level detection rate not reported | No applicable cap loaded | 1 cited | low (1-2 sources) | Basis not reported |
| iAs | Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian) (no contributing evidence loaded) | No concentration data loaded for this analyte | Sample-level detection rate not reported | EPA — Maximum Contaminant Level for Arsenic in Drinking Water: 10 ppb (drinking water) | 0 | data gap | Basis not reported |
| tAs | Bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian) (no contributing evidence loaded) | No concentration data loaded for this analyte | Sample-level detection rate not reported | No applicable cap loaded | 0 | data gap | Basis not reported |
Source Evidence Inventory
Sources for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Supporting evidence and scope
Broader-scope sources for this row will be listed here when they are catalogued.
Federal/Regulatory Limits vs Field Findings
Regulatory limits for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Controls and mitigation
Practical interventions to reduce heavy-metal load in this row, ordered by impact magnitude. Each lever names the magnitude of the effect with a cited source; cross-links to dedicated Mitigation pages where they exist.
- Sourcing levers — Not yet catalogued.
- Agronomic levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Agronomic mitigation for general agronomic mitigation context.)
- Processing levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Processing mitigation.)
- Formulation levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Formulation mitigation.)
- Testing and QC levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Testing and quality-control mitigation when published.)
- Packaging and storage levers — Not yet catalogued. (See Packaging and storage mitigation when published.)
How standards math uses this page
HMT&C certification thresholds for this row are developed under the certification program at heavymetalcertified.com, not on this page. The row-standard for this row is an aggregate computed from the contributing source pool in the row’s native finished-product basis; it is not a per-source decoration of any single value cited on this page. This public page reports literature evidence only.
Historical recalls and enforcement
Public regulatory events for this row, such as recalls and import alerts, will be listed here as they are catalogued.
Methodology
This page reports what the cited sources say about heavy-metal concentrations in bottled drinking water (purified, spring, artesian). Speciation is non-substitutable (iAs vs tAs, MeHg vs tHg, Cr-VI vs total Cr). Basis is preserved (finished-product as sold unless the source specifies otherwise; see each row for the basis label). Non-detect handling follows each source’s reporting convention. Pooling is avoided across LOD/LOQ, period, geography, and analytical-basis differences. HMT&C certification thresholds for products in this row are developed under the certification program at heavymetalcertified.com, not on this page; this public page reports literature evidence only.
The applicable regulatory jurisdictions for this row are: EPA (MCLs), FDA (bottled water), EU (Drinking Water Directive).
Sources
Sources for this row will be listed here once they are catalogued.
Sources
Source records associated with this topic. Inclusion does not establish that every finding applies to this product or ingredient. References above identify works cited in the text.
| # | Citation | Year | Type | Used on this page for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANSES 2026. Opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety on the results of the Third French Total Diet Study (TDS3) - Acrylamide, aluminium, silver, cadmium, mercury and lead, ANSES Opinion, Request No 2019-SA-0010 | 2026 | Government report | FR Al, Ag, Cd, Pb, tHg, iHg, MeHg occurrence in French TDS3 foods selected from 276 foods across 44 groups, with 718 samples collected in Loiret, Puy-de-Dome, and… (n=718) |
| 2 | Brima et al. 2026. Analysis of essential and toxic elements in tap and bottled water from the UK and its comparison with literature data for drinking water from African countries: implications for human health, African Journal of Agriculture and Food Science | 2026 | Peer-reviewed | GB Cd, Pb, tAs, tHg occurrence in 45 bottled drinking water and 48 tap drinking water samples from Leicester, UK (n=93) |
| 3 | Olowoyo et al. 2026. Heavy Metals Burden in Drinking Water: Global Patterns, Sources, and Public Health Implications, Water 18(8): 886 | 2026 | Review | global Pb, Cd, tAs, tHg, Ni, Cr, Al occurrence in Systematic review of peer-reviewed studies published 2015–2024 on heavy metals in four water source types globally |
| 4 | Sule et al. 2026. Assessment of Carcinogenic and Non-carcinogenic Health Risks of Metals in the Drinking Water of Gombe Local Government Area, Nigeria, Bima Journal of Science and Technology | 2026 | Peer-reviewed | NG Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu occurrence in Drinking-water samples from Gombe LGA, Nigeria: tap water (n=10), wells (n=5), water vendors (n=11), harvested rainwater (n=7), sachet-water… (n=87) |
| 5 | Mehdar 2025. Investigating antimony leaching from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles: characterization with SEM-EDX and ICP-OES, Water SA 51(2):156-160 | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 6 | Ranjbar et al. 2025. Machine learning models for water safety enhancement, Scientific Reports | 2025 | Peer-reviewed | IR Pb, Cr occurrence in mineral water consumable at Arak City, Iran (n=not reported in abstract) |
| 7 | Fatima et al. 2023. Assessment of Chemical and Microbiological Drinking Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Journal of Environment and Earth Science | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | LB tAs, tHg occurrence in Drinking-water samples from Beirut and Mount Lebanon (n=79) |
| 8 | Decharat et al. 2023. Quality and risk assessment of lead and cadmium in drinking water for child development centres use in Phatthalung province, Thailand | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | TH Pb, Cd occurrence in Drinking water samples (bottled, tap, filtered, raw) from child development centres, Phatthalung province, southern Thailand (n=210) |
| 9 | Sawadogo et al. 2023. Transfer of bisphenol A and trace metals from plastic packaging to mineral water in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | 2023 | Peer-reviewed | BF Cd, Fe occurrence in Ten brands of packaged sachet water commercialized in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with corresponding borehole-source water and storage-condition follow-up. (n=10) |
| 10 | USDA 2023. China Releases the Standard for Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods (USDA FAS GAIN Report CH2023-0040, unofficial translation of GB 2762-2022), USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), Report Number CH2023-0040 | 2023 | Regulation | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 11 | FDA 2022. Total Diet Study Report: Fiscal Years 2018-2020 Elements Data, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Total Diet Study Program | 2022 | Government report | US Pb, Cd, tAs, iAs, tHg, Ni, Cr, U, Sb occurrence in Composite TDS samples across 307 foods (3,241 food/beverage samples + 35 bottled-water samples) collected across six US regions… (n=3276) |
| 12 | Ungureanu et al. 2022. Occurrence of Potentially Toxic Elements in Bottled Drinking Water-Carcinogenic and Non-Carcinogenic Risks Assessment in Adults via Ingestion, Foods | 2022 | Peer-reviewed | RO/EU Ba, Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Li, Fe, Pb, Cd, Cr, Sb occurrence in Bottled drinking water samples available on the Romanian market, purchased between 2019 and 2021 (n=50) |
| 13 | Kithure et al. 2021. How Safe is the Water Consumed in Different Parts of Nairobi, Kenya?, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | 2021 | Peer-reviewed | KE Pb, Cd, Sb, Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn occurrence in Seven commercial PET-bottled drinking water brands purchased from supermarkets in Nairobi County, Kenya; sampling carried out 2019–2020; brands… (n=7) |
| 14 | Allafi 2020. The effect of temperature and storage time on the migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into commercial bottled water in Kuwait, Acta Biomedica Atenei Parmensis 91(4):e2020105 | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 15 | Decharat et al. 2020. Risk assessment of lead and cadmium in drinking water for school use in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand, Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | TH Pb, Cd occurrence in drinking water used by 44 primary schools in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand (n=146) |
| 16 | Health Canada, Water and 2020. Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document — Cadmium, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (Catalogue No. H144-13/17-2020E-PDF; ISBN 978-0-660-34296-2) | 2020 | Regulation | CA Cd occurrence in Canadian provincial and territorial monitoring datasets, 2000–2019, supplemented by national Environment and Climate Change Canada raw-water dataset (n=18,998) |
| 17 | Obasi et al. 2020. Potential health risk and levels of heavy metals in water resources of lead-zinc mining communities of Abakaliki, southeast Nigeria, Applied Water Science | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | NG Pb, Cd, tAs, tHg, Ni, Cr, Cu, Mn occurrence in Water resources used by lead-zinc mining communities in Abakaliki, southeast Nigeria (n=106) |
| 18 | Wang et al. 2020. Contamination and health risk assessment of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum from a total diet study of Jilin Province, China, Food Science & Nutrition | 2020 | Peer-reviewed | CN Pb, tAs, Cd, Al occurrence in Jilin Province total-diet-study composites across 12 food groups and 48 product groups, with consumption inputs for 7700 residents… |
| 19 | Health Canada, Water and 2019. Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document — Lead, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (Catalogue No. H144-13/11-2018E-PDF; ISBN 978-0-660-27191-0; Pub. 180137) | 2019 | Regulation | CA Pb occurrence in Canadian provincial/territorial and municipal monitoring datasets and corrosion studies, predominantly 2005–2014, supplemented by the National Survey of Disinfection… |
| 20 | Abdul et al. 2019. Determination of Heavy Elements (Pb, Cd, Cu and Cr) Concentration in Some Water Sources, Chemistry & Chemical Technology | 2019 | Peer-reviewed | IQ Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr occurrence in Water samples from Diyala Governorate, Iraq, collected between August 2016 and February 2017. Sites include the Diyala River… |
| 21 | Chapa-Martínez et al. 2016. An evaluation of the migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water, Science of the Total Environment | 2016 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 22 | Carneado et al. 2015. Migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate used in mineral water bottles, Food Chemistry 166:544-550 | 2015 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 23 | EFSA 2015. Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of nickel in food and drinking water, EFSA Journal 2015;13(2):4002, 202 pp. | 2015 | Government report | EU Ni occurrence in 18,885 food samples and 25,700 drinking water samples (final dataset after exclusions) submitted to EFSA from 15 European… (n=18885) |
| 24 | EFSA 2014. Dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic in the European population, EFSA Journal 2014;12(3):3597 | 2014 | Government report | EU iAs, tAs concentrations (n=103773) |
| 25 | Aghaee et al. 2014. Effects of storage time and temperature on the antimony and some trace element release from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into the bottled drinking water, Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 12:133 | 2014 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 26 | EFSA 2012. Cadmium dietary exposure in the European population, EFSA Journal 2012;10(1):2551 | 2012 | Government report | EU Cd occurrence in Cadmium occurrence results in food submitted to EFSA from 22 EU Member States, 3 European Economic Area or… (n=178541) |
| 27 | Tukur et al. 2012. PET bottle use patterns and antimony migration into bottled water and soft drinks: the case of British and Nigerian bottles, Journal of Environmental Monitoring | 2012 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 28 | EFSA 2010. Scientific Opinion on Lead in Food, EFSA Journal 2010;8(4):1570 | 2010 | Government report | EU Pb occurrence in Aggregated EU occurrence data: 94,126 quantified analytical results across 14 Member States, Norway and three commercial operators (2003–2009),… (n=94126) |
| 29 | EFSA 2008. Safety of Aluminium from Dietary Intake, The EFSA Journal 2008;754:1-34 | 2008 | Government report | EU Al concentrations |
| 30 | Westerhoff et al. 2008. Antimony leaching from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water, Water Research | 2008 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 31 | JECFA 2007. Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants — Sixty-seventh report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, WHO Technical Report Series 940 (Sixty-seventh meeting of JECFA, Rome, 20-29 June 2006) | 2007 | Government report | international Al, MeHg, tHg occurrence in Aluminium: total dietary exposure derived from market-basket and duplicate-diet surveys in adults (France, Germany, UK, USA, China), Total… |
| 32 | Shotyk et al. 2007. Lead in bottled waters: contamination from glass and comparison with pristine groundwater, Environmental Science & Technology 41:3508-3513 | 2007 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 33 | Shotyk et al. 2007. Contamination of Bottled Waters with Antimony Leaching from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Increases upon Storage, Environmental Science & Technology | 2007 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 34 | Shotyk 2006. Think before you drink: antimony contamination from Arctic snow to bottled water, Canadian Chemical News, May 2006, pp. 18-20 | 2006 | News | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 35 | Shotyk et al. 2006. Contamination of Canadian and European bottled waters with antimony from PET containers, Journal of Environmental Monitoring 8:288-292 | 2006 | Peer-reviewed | Contribution to this topic remains under review; see the source record for its reported scope. |
| 36 | EC 2004. Assessment of the dietary exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury of the population of the EU Member States, Reports on tasks for scientific cooperation, SCOOP Task 3.2.11 | 2004 | Government report | EU/BE/DK tAs, Cd, Pb, tHg occurrence in Occurrence, consumption, and intake submissions for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury from EU Member States and Norway under… |
| 37 | Committee on Toxicity of 2003. Statement on arsenic in food: results of the 1999 Total Diet Study, Committee on Toxicity statement | 2003 | Government report | GB tAs, iAs occurrence in 1999 UK Total Diet Study arsenic analysis: 119 food categories collected from 24 towns and combined into 20… (n=480) |
Update history
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