Plastic bottles: Why should you not use them again?

Many of us reuse plastic water bottles, reloading them, in order to save money and reduce the amount of plastic waste. However, these plastic bottles are designed to be used only once, so some worry about whether it is really safe to reuse them. Each minute about a million plastic bottles are purchased, creating huge amounts of waste, which end mainly in landfills. He asked eight experts the question ‘ Is it safe to reuse plastic water bottles? “ Their answers converged by 75% on “probably yes”… What plastic water bottles are made of Plastic water bottles vary in their material, but most disposable bottles are made (polyethylene terephthalate). PET is a clear, lightweight plastic used to pack many foods and drinks. It is approved as safe for contact with food and drink in many parts of the world, including the US and the European Union. Is it possible that chemicals leaking from plastic can cause cancer? Many online articles claim that reuse of water bottles can lead to cancer due to the release of certain chemicals from plastic. A chemical that many people are worried about is BPA (diphenol A) . BPA m , causing potential issues related to reproduction and metabolism. BPA is not used to manufacture PET bottles but can be found in other, more rigid plastics, such as polycarbonate. Nevertheless, it found very low concentrations (5 ng / L) BPA in bottled PET water. Two other studies did not find this chemical, so this finding is not convincing. A different chemical, antimony, is used as a catalyst for the production of PET. Antimony is not considered carcinogenic during ingestion, but a 2008 study tested antimony levels in commercially available bottled waters. They found that some leak had occurred gradually over time, but the quantities were much lower than those considered dangerous. The concentration at which the antimony becomes dangerous is about 6 ppb (part per billion). The study found that antimony concentrations began at 0.195 ppb and increased to 0.226 ppb after three months to 22 degrees Celsius. Antimony is not the only chemical studied in bottled water. A whole range of chemicals from plasticizers to metals have been investigated. These studies found that there are certain chemicals, such as antimony, leaking into bottled water. So far, there is no evidence that these pose a risk to human health. What about microplastics? Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. They are almost everywhere, including drinking water. In fact, a study found that . The World Health Organization (WHO) examined the potential risks of microplastics, but based on current data they concluded that they are not a significant threat to human health. It is interesting that Dr. Umar Abdulmutalib from the University of Surrey says: “New plastic bottles may contain more microplastics than used” . Dr. Marek Cuhra from the Marine Research Institute in Norway also believes that “the drinking water from a used and washed plastic bottle is safer than a brand new bottle.” His team found that water fleas were growing and reproduced better in plastic tubes washed with hot water than in new plastic containers. In conclusion: Of the eight experts, six replied that it is rather safe to reuse plastic water bottles. Chemical leakage and microplastic studies found that these occur at very low levels and are unlikely to cause serious health threats, unless plastic bottles are repeatedly exposed to very high temperatures. The most likely danger is that of contamination, so if you use a plastic bottle of water again, remember to wash it regularly. Sources: , , , , , ,