###### Abstract  
Potentially toxic elements are chemical pollutants which are dangerous to human health, especially for babies and children. Because their presence has been detected in baby food and baby drinking water, exposure to these elements is mainly due to ingestion. For this reason, the main objective of this study was quantification of 12 potentially toxic elements, including Ba, Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Li, Fe, Pb, Cd, Cr, Sb, by ICP-MS, from 19 samples of bottled baby water. Based on the levels obtained, a health risk assessment was performed of the risk caused by their consumption, as well as an analysis of the quality of the samples. Except iron, the values obtained for all other metals were below the limits imposed by the legislation in force. The risk analysis shows that Hazard index values were included in Risk Class 1, with a very low hazard level. The order of Cancer Risk values is as follows, Cd! Cr! Ni! Pb. As a general conclusion, we can say that the samples can be intended for consumption by children and infants. baby water; potentially toxic elements; health risk assessment; water quality +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
Humans are exposed to potentially toxic elements through ingestion of contaminated food or water, by inhalation of atmospheric particles enriched with metals, or absorption through the skin [8,9]. Even if potentially toxic elements reach the body at trace levels, they can accumulate and causes disorders like, neurological disease, hormone imbalance, respiratory problems, endocrine disorders, infertility, cardiovascular problems, kidney diseases, digestive problems [8]. The quality of drinking water is very important, being one of the major factors which can affect human health and, for this reason, is strongly inter-related with human health [10,11]. The risk due to exposure to polluted water can be calculated through health risk assessment, and the results obtained may require measures to reduce the risk caused by contaminants. The most commonly used health risk assessment model is the one recommended by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) [10]. This model includes a carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic analysis, based on parameters like estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI) and cancer risk (CR) [12]. The quality of water can be evaluated by parameters like water quality index (WQI), entropy water quality index (EQWI) [10], water pollution index (WPI), comprehensive pollution index (CPI), organic pollution index (OPI), trace metal pollution index (TPI) [13], contamination factor (C\({}_{\text{f}}\)), degree of contamination (mC\({}_{\text{d}}\)), pollution load index (PLI) [8]. The health risk assessment of the water quality helps quantify the risk of exposure to polluted water, and, in this mode, by quantitative description of the hazards, decisions related to water source protection and management can be implemented [10]. In a study conducted by [PERSON], 2020 [14] on a series of baby food products and baby bottled water purchased from 15 retail chains in major cities in the United States, it was observed that 95% of products contain at least one toxic element (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury). Moreover, in the study conducted by [PERSON] and [PERSON], 2020 [15] on a number of 48 samples of bottled water intended for consumption in schools, it was observed that lead and cadmium levels were between 2.5-18 \(\upmu\)g/L, respectively 0.16-1.3 \(\upmu\)g/L. In the case of lead, only 4 samples exceeded the 10 \(\upmu\)g/L limit imposed by the WHO guide [16], while cadmium did not exceed the 3 \(\upmu\)g/L limit. As a concerning Hazard index for lead and cadmium, the values were less than 1, but if other elements had been analyzed, the HI levels would probably have been higher.