General Chat

Not sure if anyone is aware of this but I have just see it on facebook and thought it was interesting

What do you know about the risks of buying different kinds of plastic water bottles? The chances are no one’s ever told you all the details which you need to know in order to look after your health.

It should be indicated somewhere on every bottle precisely what kind of plastic it’s made out of. This information is very important, as every kind of plastic contains chemicals which can cause varying degrees of harm to the human body.

The type of plastic is indicated in the form of letters and numbers, as shown in the graphic:

The graphics are a sort of triangle with the letters inside on the bottom of each plastic bottle.

PET or PETE

PET is one of the most commonly used plastics in consumer products, and is found in most water and soft drink bottles, and some packaging. It is intended for single use applications; repeated use increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. These bottles can release heavy metals and chemicals that affect the hormonal balance. PET plastic is difficult to decontaminate, and proper cleaning requires harmful chemicals.

HDP or HDPE

HDPE plastic is the stiff plastic used to make milk jugs, detergent and oil bottles, toys, and some plastic bags. This kind of plastic releases practically no chemicals. Experts recommend choosing these bottles when buying bottled water, because they’re probably the safest (and thus, contain the cleanest water) you can find on the market.

PVC or 3V

PVC is a soft, flexible plastic used to make clear plastic food wrapping, cooking oil bottles, teething rings, children’s and pets’ toys, and blister packaging for myriad consumer products. It releases 2 toxic chemicals that affect the hormones in your body. Experts recommend buying an alternative if you can find it.

LDPE

This plastic cannot be used in the production of bottles, even though it does not release any chemicals into the water. However, it is nevertheless not a good idea to buy food you find in the shops which use this packaging. You might end up eating not only what you paid for, but also some highly dangerous chemicals.

PP

Another white-colored or semi transparent plastic, used as packing for syrups and yoghurt cups. Polypropylene plastic is tough and lightweight, and has excellent heat-resistance qualities. When heated, it doesn’t melt. It is thus relatively safe. It also serves as a good barrier against moisture, grease and chemicals.

PS

Polystyrene is an inexpensive, lightweight plastic with a wide variety of uses. It is most often used to make disposable styrofoam drinking cups, take-out “clamshell“ food containers, egg cartons, and plastic picnic cutlery. It releases some carcinogenic substances when heated. It is completely unsuitable for long-term use as a food or drink container.

PC or non-labeled plastic

Often used in the production of sports water bottles and food containers, this is the most dangerous plastic you will encounter. This category was designed as a catch-all for polycarbonate (PC) and ”other" plastics, so reuse and recycling protocols are not standardized within this category. Of primary concern with these plastics, however, is the potential for chemical leaching into food or drink products packaged in polycarbonate containers made using BPA (Bisphenol A).

As of today, check the bottom of the bottle twice!

One thing I have noticed lately is that when I ordered some vinegar on a home delivery, it came in a plastic bottle, not had that before it has always been glass...given the acid nature of the vinegar I can't help but feel it being in plastic is not good ( aside from the other reasons).

I don't have home delivery but I haven't noticed vinegar in plastic as yet Rose. I would not have thought it was a good idea. Although if you have sachets of vinegar in restaurants, it is in plastic.

Instantly checked the bottle beside me (A--a flavoured still no-sugar-added water, PET, took a lot of finding!). I don't reuse them but I might have done in the future without this information.

I have to admit I do sometimes reuse them when travelling and fill the bottle with tap water for the car. I suppose it is more cost effective for them to put the water in bottles that can't be re-used. I shall have to look out for one of the safer ones.

That's why I stick to booze it comes in glass bottles! So much heather! :-D

Those types of bottles, and us, have been around for years. If we were to suffer ill effects in the future, we will anyway.

It's a bit like Mad Cow disease. By the time they worked out what was going on, infected meat had been in the food chain for several years. You either developed CJD or you didn't.

We take bottles of water to work. OH is for everlasting leaving his behind & I'm not going to keep buying permanent bottles. It's bad enough having to buy 'spring' water to reuse the bottles.

The only way to make bottled ready to consume drinks safer is remove the potentially harmful materials. More than likely the current advice should be taken on board by those who regularly buy and drink water/drinks in plastic bottles. If we acted on every bit of advice, we'd starve.

Many thanks for that information Ann.

As senior citizens we have not been as exposed as younger generations have/will be.
I will pass the info. onto my daughter who has an 8 year old girl I worry for.

Must admit I looked into many things trying to find ''safe'' products to use when g/daughter was a baby, It was a nightmare as I am not a chemist and tried to find the effects of various product contents. Still try but my old brain is
getting slower LOL.-- read only recently where some tins are lined with a substance which can contaminate the food inside !!

Thanks again Ann - I will be checking anything plastic in our house.

I can't understand people buying bottled water, except in an emergency, when we live in a civilised country with potable water available at the turn of a tap.
Making the bottle consumes oil and transporting them also. When we reckon oil reserrves are being depleted at an unsustainable rate.
And most of the empty bottles end up in landfill or floating in the ocean, biodegrading into the aquatic food chain.
Why not find a container made of a safe material and just refill as necessary?

BrianW - it's not just water, a lot of common products come in plastic bottles, ketchups, marmite, mustard, lemonade, etc. etc. I too have passed this on to my descendants, including two great-grandsons

Brian, there are areas of the uk where I find the water not pleasant to drink, it is safe to drink but tastes unpleasant to me. On those occasions I prefer bottled water. It is also necessary to have bottled water when flying as you can't take liquid through security. but my main concern is that I have been in the habit of filling a once used water bottle with tap water from our own tap (I find our water pleasant to drink) so, yes I need to find a replacement for that.

Apparently, the worst thing is to re-use plastic water bottles over and over and leaving them in the car to heat up which I guess would release more of the chemicals over time.

I bought two water bottles in Lakeland where they sell 'safe' types.

Also give thought to the plastic bags that we put food into for the fridge and freezer. At one time I was defrosting soup that I'd put into the cheapest, flimsy, supermarket bags where they would get really hot. That wouldn't be safe, either.

I did ask in Lakeland and was told their plastic bags were safe. I think it would be worth the extra money to buy a more expensive brand from there. I bought some soup/sauce bags which can be resealed, they were made from a safe plastic.

Good to know that Lavender. I will look out for the water bottles in Lakeland.

David Attenborough is disgusted by the amount of plastic dumped at sea.

He said we moan when, for example, there is an accidental raw sewerage spill into the oceans. He maintains that the sewerage will eventually disintegrate, whereas plastic can last for centuries.

I've noticed that a few products are now only available in plastic containers, they used to be in glass.... jam, peanut butter, Vegemite, mayo, sauces etc.

I'm also annoyed because glass can definitely be recycled (not so sure about some plastic) and I can't use plastic jars for home-made food (I can sterilise glass jars & lids, again, not sure about plastic).

I'm a hoarder.......... somewhere, in the back of the "plastics" kitchen drawer, there's a re-usable lid, with a spout....... for a milk bottle!

You have to be very careful when reading these sort of reports to ensure you keep things in context as they can sometimes develop into large scale scaremongering.

There was a situation a few years back where it was reported in the press that a well known fruit drink aimed primarily at children, could carry an slightly increased risk of cancer. It was blown out of all proportion that the public perception ended up believing it was was so toxic it would damage the drains if it were to be poured down the sink.....!

The key to all this is the word re-use, as already alluded to. The biggest risk in reusing plastic containers is that of bacteria growth as it is not possible for them to properly sterilised.

You are at far greater risk every time you step off the kerb than you are from plastic bottles.

I think we all realised this IGP, that it is reuse of bottles that is the problem I have not seen anyone saying that they will not buy bottled water in future.