CONTAMINATION OF PET BOTTLED CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS SOLD IN NIGERIA AFTER LONG STORAGE DUE TO ANTIMONY LEACHING: RISK ASSESSMENT

This research was carried out to ascertain the rate of leaching of antimony (Sb)from PET bottled soft drinks after long storage and to calculate the health risk associated with this leaching. Six different brands of soft drinks sold in Nigeria (eleven bottles of each) were purchased from 9th mile area of Enugu State. One bottle of each brand was analysed for antimony before storage to serve as control. Five bottles of each brand were exposed to sunlight while five bottles of each brand were stored at room temperature and they were analysed for antimony concentration after 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 weeks of storage. For sample 1, Sb concentration ranged from 0.004 to 0.010 and 0.004 to 0.011, sample 2 ranged from 0.001 to 0.006 and 0.001 to 0.010, sample 3 ranged from 0.001 to 0.008 and 0.001 to 0.014, sample 4 ranged from 0.002 to 0.007 and 0.002 to 0.010. sample 5 ranged from 0.003 to 0.006 and 0.003 to 0.011, sample 6 ranged from 0.001 to 0.006 and 0.001 to 0.010 for room temperature and sunlight exposed samples respectively. The antimony concentration on the samples were found to exceed the WHO limit of 0.006 at 15 weeks of exposure to sunlight apart from sample 2. It was observed that the cancer risk increased with increase in storage time, temperature and amount of leached antimony increases.