Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
PET / resin identification code 1
Plastic bottles, trays, egg cartons. The most abundant by weight in bottled water.
Main uses
- Plastic bottles (beverages, alcoholic drinks, soy sauce, etc.)
- Trays and egg cartons
- Some tea bags
- Polyester fibers (clothing)
Found in food, water and the human body
- Bottled water: PET is the most abundant by weight (Qian et al. 2024)
- Blood: one of the 3 types found most often (Leslie et al. 2022)
- Human stool: the most common, together with polypropylene (Schwabl et al. 2019)
Detailed numbers by food: Bottled water, Drinks in glass bottles, Tea bags, PET bottle caps and opening packaging
Evaluations of raw materials and additives
- Antimony (trivalent), used as a catalyst in manufacturing, is IARC Group 2A (evaluated in 2022)
- The raw materials of PET (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) are not on the IARC classification list
IARC classifications rate the strength of evidence that something can cause cancer, not the size of the risk at everyday amounts.
Japan's standards (utensils, containers and packaging that touch food)
- MHLW Notification No. 370 (PET): antimony 0.05 μg/mL or less, germanium 0.1 μg/mL or less, evaporation residue 30 μg/mL or less
- The PET mark (“1” in a triangle) is applied only to bottles for beverages, alcoholic drinks, and certain seasonings. Other PET containers (such as egg cartons) get the “plastic” mark (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Q&A)
General standards for all synthetic resins: cadmium and lead in the material 100 μg/g or less each, heavy metals migrating (as lead) 1 μg/mL or less, and others. Since June 2020, synthetic resins that touch food have been under a “positive list system” that sets which substances may be used (the transition period ended May 31, 2025). → Rules and regulation
Production in Japan
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PET resin | 274,957 t | 302,121 t | 262,994 t |
Compiled by the Japan Plastics Industry Federation (based on METI's production statistics). This is the amount made in Japan, not the amount used in Japan.
Sources
- Qian N, et al. PNAS 2024;121(3):e2300582121 (PMID 38190543)
- Leslie HA, et al. Environ Int 2022;163:107199 (PMID 35367073)
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources: identification marking Q&A
- Consumer Affairs Agency, standards for utensils, containers and packaging (Notification No. 370, Part 3) (Japanese)
- IARC List of Classifications
- Japan Plastics Industry Federation, statistics (Japanese)
Last checked 2026-10-01. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.