Heavy metals in carbonated waters and beverages on the South Korean market

Carbonated beverages, including carbonated waters (CWs) and soft drinks, are widely consumed worldwide. Although these beverages are consumed almost as frequently as drinking water, their regulatory standards for heavy metals are less stringent than those applied to water. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and uranium and to evaluate potential health risks. Samples were categorised into four types: CWs, flavoured carbonated waters (FCWs), sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks (SCDs) and sparkling tea/juice drinks (STJDs). ICP-MS analysis revealed that levels of the four investigated heavy metals ranged from <LOD to 24.7 µg L− 1, with mean values of <LOD–1.5 µg L− 1. Cd was found at the lowest levels. Except for U, higher levels of heavy metals were observed in SCDs and STJDs. Overall, the findings indicate that all measured values remained within internationally accepted limits and the associated health risk was determined to be negligible.