Core
Hydration - Water Bottle 
These
days almost everyone carries a water bottle. There are all kinds
on the market made up of different types of plastic. Now some
groups are questioning the safety of certain plastics, particularly
as the bottles start to wear.
Whether
you buy bottled water or conscientiously tote some from home,
you'll want to avoid swallowing chemicals along with it. Particularly
for small children, whose bodies are developing, it's best to
steer clear of plastics that can release chemicals that could
harm them in the long term.
Important
Facts
- The
sales for bottled water are estimated to be between $50 and
$100 billion (US) annually and increasing approximately
7 to 10 percent annually. In 2004, total sales were approximately
154 billion liters (41 billion gallons).
- In
developed countries, demand is driven by a variety of factors
including convenience, the perception that bottled water may
be safer than local municipal water, and taste preferences.
- Packaging
and advertising work to foster these perceptions and brand bottled
water in ways similar to branded soft drinks.
- Though
many municipalities, particularly in the developed world, provide
high-quality, highly regulated, potable water, occasional problems
with contamination from commercial fertilizer, MTBE, or other
contaminants are often widely publicized.
- Violations
of tap water standards are, in North America, openly reported,
especially examples like the severe 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which led to 100 deaths and 400,000
illnesses (see: Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak).
The
plastics not to choose
There
are chemicals in some water bottles that consumers have a right
to know about like bisphenoia. It is associated with prostate
disorders, it is associated with lowered sperm counts and it showing
an association with alzheimers and at the other end of life with
learning disabilities.
Below,
the plastics not to choose (check the recycling number on the
bottom of your bottle) and those that are safer:
Plastics
to Avoid
#3
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate
(DEHP), an endocrine
disruptor and probable human carcinogen, as a softener.
#6
Polystyrene (PS) may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor
and human carcinogen, into water and food.
#7
Polycarbonate contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which
can leach out as bottles age, are heated or exposed to acidic
solutions. Unfortunately, #7 is used in most baby bottles and
five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.
Better
Plastics
#1
polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), the most common and
easily recycled plastic for bottled water and soft drinks, has
also been considered the most safe. However, one 2003 Italian
study found that the amount of DEHP in bottled spring water increased
after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle.
#2
High Density Polyethylene
#4
Low Density Polyethylene
#5
Polypropylene
