Aquaholics: Addicted to drinking water

[km267]

I used to always refill my plastic water bottle before i found out that *apparently* (i have no source) if you keep refilling a plastic bottle with water then the chemicals from the plastic get absorbed into the water which you then end up drinking.

Yeah, be careful with those plastic bottles. they're not really meant for refilling, and gross stuff can grow on the opening unless you wash it with super hot water between refills.

I was put off bottled water for a while last winter when i was taking my daily bottled water from a case i stored in my car trunk... the weather caused it to freeze and thaw a few times i guess, and then one day i looked at the water swishing around inside my bottle and it was REALLY CLOUDY with CHUNKS. i guess the plastic was breaking down.

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Ive also heard that about the plastic. I reuse bottles a few times, but I always wash them with soap and hot water and let them dry completely before I fill them up. After a few times I toss them and buy another one.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

Ew. Goddamn. I never even considered about refilling my bottles.... I just refill 'em, never properly wash them. Sometimes I can have the same one for months (until it gets too lipsticky on the top)

 

[mik82]

Has anyone got a scientific source to back the leaching of chemicals from refilled water bottles?

I ask this for two reasons:

The first is that the chemicals that people reckon leach from plastic water bottles are phthalates as the plastic is PET - polyethylene teraphthalate. However as the "phthalate" is actually part of a long polymer molecule it will not dissolve in the water.

Phthalates are used as plasticizers (make plastics less brittle, more flexible) and used in PVC, not PET.

The next reason is that another plastic, polycarbonate (PC), may contain another plasticizer called bisphenol-A. This plastic is used for the large reusable bottles that you see on office water dispensers. The person that mentioned having bottled water delivered in jugs will almost certainly be receiving it in polycarbonate. Bisphenol-A is an oestrogen mimic and hence could cause hormone problems or increase cancer risks.

This leads me to think that the ideas about not refilling the small PET water bottles are not based on problems with the plastic releasing toxic chemicals. After all, the plastic was chosen because of its long term stability when containing liquids for human consumption. People may be confusing PET with PC as some bottles (but not disposable water bottles) are made of PC.

The myth may be propagated as buying new bottles, rather than just refilling them, makes certain companies money.

In all the only reason I can think for not reusing PET bottles is that they may build up bacteria. However if you wash them well after each use then that shouldn't be a problem. In addition you're not contributing to a rubbish mountain by buying something that is generally just as safe drank out of the tap.

 

[mindbodysOul]

Well i did some google research and couldnt really come up with any substantial evidence against the re-using of drink bottles. I'll throw up a couple of interesting links i found.

I guess the whole issue is still a little controversial and the best bet would just to be open to and aware of the possible dangers.

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2004/08/02/umbra-bottles/

http://www.plasticsinfo.org/beveragebottles/APCWaterBottlesFAQs.pdf

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1132 (good article)

This is also from an article but i thought i would paste it here as it was a good breakdown of the different types of plastics and their relevance to possible chemical leaching.

1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

2 High density polyethylene (HDPE) Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

4 Low density polyethylene (LDPE) Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles.
OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

5 Polypropylene (PP) Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

6 Polystyrene (PS) Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys)
BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

7 Other (usually polycarbonate) Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.

 

[mik82]

Cheers. I can't get on the emagazine.com one but the other two articles are useful. Certainly the plasticsinfo.org gives the information I need (though I appreciate that it is an industry body)

So basically

1) PET water bottles do not leach carcinogens into water. The one study that found this was a masters thesis that was not checked or peer reviewed. The carcinogenic compound found in this study is not used in nor a breakdown product of PET . The chemical in question (DEHA) is commonly found in other plastic products and the most likely source was cross-contamination of samples.

I did chemistry at university and I appreciate how easy it is to get false positive results, especially when using incredibly sensitive techniques. All it takes is to accidentally touch a sample and you've immediately contaminated it

2) PET water bottles are prefectly safe to be reused so long as they are washed carefully between uses.

 

[frog_e]

my water bottle says "PETE" on the bottom.... what's the difference between PET and PETE?

as for the bacteria buildup... i know it's bad, but it's my bacteria.... and since i live in such a sterile world otherwise, i like to think that it's like an immune system builder, rather than a scummy bottle....

of course, when i'm sick i use glasses instead of bottles, and i probably go through about 4 bottles a week or something... unless i'm dirt poor. I've also stopped using the "pop-top" bottles..... because i looked in one by chance one day and saw the blackness inside.... that's a little extreme for me... so i'll stick to the old-fashioned screw-tops.

 

[skleton]

When I was younger upon learning that tap water can and often is bad I tried a brita filter pitcher thing. The water produced made me quite sick. I am not sure if I had a defective one or what but I gave up on it.

Over the years I tried bottled water every once in awhile but I could never understand how anyone could drink alot of water that tastes like plastic (contaminated water). I try to avoid any liquid in a plastic container pretty much if i have a choice now. On a side note I also avoid things in cans as sometimes they taste quite metallic.

Currently just recently I am trying a reverse osmosis unit. No plastic taste.
I add in a little bit of sea salt in case of mineral leeching. I store in a glass bottle. Way cheaper then buying bottled water. Can drink alot more then I could of from the tap.

This is my current water drinking.

 

[mik82]

I've never experienced a plastic taste from water stored in PET bottles. I have used water bottles made of other plastics and I remember some of them giving a slight plastic taste. It could have been due to smelling the plastic while drinking the water though.

To be honest I think water is probably one of the things that people should be worrying about the least. I'd be far more concerned about factory farmed animals and industrially produced vegetables, internal combustion engines etc etc etc etc..

 

[-Guido-]

Totally addicted to water here. I either need a bottle of water or gatorade wherever I go. I drink massive amounts as well which in turn has me using the bathroom every 2 to 3 hours.

 

[s l h(one)y w]

"moderation is the key to life" right? balance. Like in college my roommate would drink like maybe one small bottle of water a day, about 12 ounces. He was fine, just like the girls/guys who drink gallons.... But it's definitely healthies to drink a moderate ammount of water and not get obsessed with the fun of either drinking or not drinking water.

 

[drug_wench]

i hate the taste of tap water generally, it always tastes like chemicals - i used 2 live on a property in the coromandel ranges where we had streams coming off the mountains and that is the only water ive eva craved
instead i just drink lots and lots of dehydrating shit like alcohol, coffee and coke.....my kidneys probly hate me!

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Totally addicted to water here. I either need a bottle of water or gatorade wherever I go. I drink massive amounts as well which in turn has me using the bathroom every 2 to 3 hours.

Only every two or three hours? Damn I go every half hour lol..

 

[-Guido-]

Lol. Thats cus I hold it or else I would prolly get fired from work for having to go every hour and anger my professors for walking out of thier lectures.

 

[uacvax]

I used to hardly drink any water at all and I felt just fine.

Until one day I decided to give blood, and my blood clotted with the bag just half way full. The nurse decided to move around the needle while still in my vein to try to unclot it. It didn't unclot. And it was painful. Very painful.

I drink a lot of water now.

 

[Ataxia]

my water bottle says "PETE" on the bottom.... what's the difference between PET and PETE?

Nothing. Different names for the same thing.

 

[destroyer]

I do realize that. But things like Dasani and Evian are simply bottled tap water .

But the water that comes in large jugs is a different story, I guess.

Alternatives to buying bottled water include buying a filter. THat would be much cheaper than bottles...

Thought dasani was discontinued. What's wrong with bottled tap water from france if it's a lot purer than the stuff that comes out of your tap?

 

[Jamshyd]

Thought dasani was discontinued. What's wrong with bottled tap water from france if it's a lot purer than the stuff that comes out of your tap?

Dasani is alive and thriving in Canada and the US.

I guess nothing wrong with what you described, still though - a filter is more economical, if anything.

 

[mariacallas]

We have a mineral water cooler in my house
im a huge whale and need to be properly hydrated all the time...i also live near the equator so it is stifling hot .
I used to drink gallons of iced tea and diet soft drinks which alas, wasnt very good for me (or anyone!) all that sugar and bloat blah. Now I drink only water and very little else. ( and i mean a huge coleman of water beside me at all times!)
I feel so much better because of it.

 

[chugs]

Just to defend tap water....

In country Australia town water supplies don't contain fluoride. children are as a consequence are losing their teeth at alarming rates. It's a serious problem, which is further exacerbated by the drought.

I hardly think aquifers are immune to the pollution that normal water supplies apparently have in them. For gods sake the if Arctic circle, that extremely isolated area with no heavy industry, has dangerous levels of toxins & heavy metals then I don't think glacier/spring could be free of them either. If anything those sources of water would be worse off since a) glacial water would have large concentrations of pollutants that ride off the jet streams in the form of snow and rain, whilst springs would just have huge amounts of the shit coming into from polluted ground water sources.

But if the biggest problem from drinking to much water is that you end up washing salts/sodium out of your body I think it's easily solved, simply consume a bit more salt/sodium in your diet.