Plastic Water Bottles are Safe to Reuse
by tec on September 17, 2008
Plastic Water Bottles are Safe to Reuse
| Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot of people tell me that there are certain dangers involved in storing water bottles, using water bottles, and reusing water bottles. So I began my typical scouring of the internet to get to the bottom of this myth or truth. I can now conclusively say that plastic water bottles are safe to use and reuse in almost all situations. Let me break down the myths: |
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1. Plastic water bottles release harmful carcinogens into the water inside over time, particularly when reused and stored.
A. The plastics (usually polyethylene terephthalate, or PET) that are used in all water bottles are FDA approved for food-contact, and has not been proven to be harmful in any way to human beings, even after prolonged and recurring use. The only reason to throw your water bottle away after a few uses is to prevent harmful bacteria or microbes from growing inside (which can happen after a while), thus making you sick. Harmful carcinogens have nothing to do with this risk. 2. When frozen or chilled in the refridgerator, plastic water bottles release harmful carcinogens at a faster rate.
A. This statement is completely false, as it is chemically proven that when cooled, the temperature has the exact opposite effect on plastic. It is true that more chemicals (not necessarily harmful) can enter the water when the bottle is heated, but not cooled.
3. Leaving a water bottle in a hot car makes the water unhealthy to drink.
A. As long as you’re not leaving it for a week or more, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about this. Once again, the risk is not in the plastic, but what might end up growing inside the water because you’re giving it plenty of sunlight and exposure.
These email hoaxes and ideas floating around do nothing to help our environment, as people will throw away water bottles for fear of contamination. I’ve been recently using water bottles at work and refilling them, and using them for about 1-2 weeks each bottle. I think this is one of the cleanest ideas I’ve ever had, and it’s greatly reducing the water bottle trash that I’m creating. Plus I feel great.
References:
+ http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp
+ http://www.plasticsinfo.org/s_plasticsinfo/sec_level2_faq.asp?CID=705&DID=2839 |
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m still not sure if bottled water is very good for you and I know for a fact that it’s not good for our environment. I would suggest trying to use a reusable water bottle and tap water (I use a Brita b/c my tap water isn’t very tasty!) to help our environment and if you have health concerns about the type of bottle you use, like I did, try out this glass water bottle that I found and like so much I sell them on my green website: http://www.livinglavidaverde.net. Either way, please try to phase out disposable bottles!
You’re absolutely right! Bottled water as a whole is not good for the environment at all. But since they are very convenient in my lifestyle, I try to do my part and use one bottle at a time, for weeks. I just keep refilling it with drinking water day after day. A box of 24 bottles can last me almost a year