The mean inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure from drinking water in the US has been estimated to be 4.2 μg/day making it the largest single source of arsenic for the average US consumer. This estimate is derived using a probabilistic model in combination with the Second Six Year Review database containing &gt;49,000 drinking water utilities in the US and the 53,522 person day consumption rates associated with the What We Eat in America (WWEIA) database. Inorganic arsenic, like other trace metals, tends to be associated with ground water utilities and individual private wells. In 2003, the WWEIA survey began to collect consumption rate data for bottled water. Prior to this the drinking water tap was considered the sole source for the estimated 720mL/day direct drinking water consumption. Based on the 2003-2008 WWEIA survey, bottled water is estimated to represent 297mL/day of the 720mL/day direct drinking water consumption. Incorporating this shift in consumer preference into a national exposure assessment for arsenic and other trace metals has been a source of uncertainty because of a lack of a national bottled water survey. This poster will report on research activities to produce a preliminary trace metal dataset for bottled water with the long range goal of incorporating this shift in consumer preference into a national drinking water exposure estimate for arsenic and other trace metals.

Analysis of trace metals in bottled water samples from across the United States

251st National Meeting (2016)

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