Toxic Plastic Water Bottles   by Debra Lynn Dadd

I recently received a question from one of my readers about


the safety of drinking water from clear plastic water


bottles. These bottles, made from Lexan polycarbonate resin


(a plastic polymer), are widely used for single-serving


sales to one-gallon of water in stores and home-delivery


bottles.

Theee bottles appear to be safe because they do not impart


any taste or odor to the water. Lexan polycarbonate is also


used to make compact discs and DVDs, bulletproof windows,


mobile phones, and computers.

The water delivery company sent my reader a notice saying


that their Lexan polycarbonate bottles are perfectly safe to


use. They suggested their customers visit a website that was


designed to portray this plastic in a positive light.

But, actually, a toxic chemical is lurking in these bottles


that does end up in the water you drink. Lexan used to be


used to make baby bottles, but these are no longer sold.


Hmmmmm...

STAY AWAY FROM BPA

In 1998, Dr. Patricia Hunt of Case Western University in


Ohio discovered that one of the components of Lexan


polycarbonate resin--bisphenol-A (BPA)--can leach into water


from water bottles. BPA is a potent hormone disruptor. It


can impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects


on breast tissue and prostate development.

Who do we believe? The water delivery company or Dr. Hunt?

I`m inclined to go with Dr. Hunt. I went to a website


maintained by the authors of Our Stolen Future: How We Are


Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival, who


are continuously searching the scientific literature for


information on endochrine disruptors. The Our Stolen Future


(http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisp


page on bisphenol-a henola/bpauses.htm#recentimportant)


gives a whole page of links to scientific studies that show


that BPA damages the endocrine system in a variety of ways.

BPA can leach from water bottles when exposed to heat and


cleaning agents, but detectable levels of BPA can also leach


into water from bottles just sitting at room temperature,


according to a 2003 study conducted by the University of


Missouri published in the journal Environmental Health


Perspectives.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

Is there is a level of BPA that may be acceptable? To answer


that question we have to ask: acceptable to who? A healthy


male? A woman? A child? The elderly? And how would you know


how much leaching has occurred in the water? It could easily


vary from day to day depending on how long the water had


been in the bottle, whether or not the sun was shining on


the bottle in the delivery truck, and a variety of other


factors.

I`m concerned enough about the possible danger of BPA that I


am no longer purchasing bottled water in plastic bottles.

Health concerns aside, plastic is also not good for the


environment. Americans use about 10 million tons of plastic


every year, but recycle only about two percent of it. A


plastic milk jug takes about one million years to


biodegrade. And, getting back to health concerns, the


manufacture of plastics produces toxic wastes that return to


us indirectly through polluted air, water, and soil.

But we also have to use common sense and choose the greatest


benefit at any given time. If your choice was to drink


spring water in the polycarbonate bottle or drink tap water


or drink no water at all on a hot summer day, I would say


drink the purer spring water in the polycarbonate bottle.


Once in a while, a single exposure will not do much harm.


But you don`t want to be using water contained in a Lexan


polycarbonate resin bottle as your everyday source of water


supply, or drink from these bottles all day long, every


day.

There are other options.

BETTER OPTIONS

My best recommendation is to get a good water filter that is


right for your water and filter your water at home. That way


there is no questionable leaching at all. Even though this


may be expensive, it is one of the best investments you can


make in your health and will save thousands of dollars in


medical expenses in the long run.

For those of you who carry or purchase water in the small,


single-serving Lexan polycarbonate bottles, you can purchase


plastic-free refillable bottles in various sizes to suit


your needs. They are lightweight and much more attractive


than the disposable plastic bottles.

It`s a good idea, particularly in the summertime, to carry


clean water with you, as your body needs water throughout


the day for good health. The Mayo Clinic suggests you divide


your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water


every day. So if you weigh 128 pounds, that would be 64


ounces or 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It`s better to


carry your own clean water in a safe container than drink


tap water or water in a plastic bottle.

For sources of water filters and reusable plastic-free


refillable bottles, visit


http://www.debraslist.com/water/index.html.