Naturopathic Source

I did some research as I began to write this post to find some statistics and references to include. What I am discovering is that information on plastics is difficult to find. There are a lot of links to government and industry (ie. the people who sell these things) sites saying that it`s all safe, but not much else.

I happen to know that plastics often pose a large problem, so I am continuing the hunt. I minored in chemistry in university, and know that it is near impossible for a porous substance - plastic - not to affect it's contents, especially when heated. So when I read that there is no effect on the food/water, I know that there is definitely some effect, even if small. So there is something were are not being told. Chances are "There is no effect." really means "There is no known effect" which really means "We have never studied it and don't actually know." This post will include what I have found so far and then I will post updates as I find more information.

Disposable plastic water bottles, designated #1 (the ones you buy already full of water): Bacterial contamination is a big problem and that is why the companies print on the label (often in pretty small print) not to refill. This plastic is too porous to wash -- the bacteria won`t really be cleansed away. So one use only. Apparently there is concern that as the bottle breaks down, it will leach chemicals into the water. But I can't find anything that talks about what it is that leaches or within what kind of time frame the plastic begins to break down. I do know that if water is left for too long in a bottle, or if the bottle heats up (eg. in a warm car or truck) that the water often tastes like plastic. If you are tasting plastic, you are ingesting plastic.

Nalgene highly coloured water bottles - they have been shown to leach a chemical called Bisphenol-A (BPA) which acts in our body as a mild form of estrogen. BPA has been linked to breast cancer, ovarian cancer. lower levels of testosterone in men, infertility and prostate cancer. BPA is also found in the plastic liner of metal food cans, many plastic baby bottles and many plastic baby toys.

Look for water bottles with the following number and letter designations:

-polypropylene  - #5 PP

-high-density polyethylene, #2HDPE

-low-density polyethylene, #4 LDPE

To be perfectly honest, I don't feel overly confident about the "safe plastics". I would advise to drink out of glass whenever possible (at home, at the office etc.) and when you need something portable, get a "safe plastic" bottle. Just make sure it doesn't heat up and if it does (even once it's cooled down) throw the water out and refill. As a suggestion, a good glass solution would be to buy a 800mL VOSS bottle (sold at some health food stores and Whole Foods) and keep it filled with water. Pour the water into a glass or mug and drink from there instead of directly from the bottle; the glass/mug is much easier to clean then the bottles with their narrow mouths. This also prevents you from having to carry a somewhat heavy glass bottle back and from to the office -- just leave it there and keep refilling. Although you are not eliminating plastic, you definitely are minimizing. For those who work on the road, plastic seems to be your best bet.

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I was ready to close off this post but just came across an article from Macleans and have included an excerpt here (in italics). Click here to read the full article. The PET water bottles they are talking about are the disposable ones that just about everyone buys these days and the ones mentioned above in this post as #1.

The volatility of PET bottles, which should never be refilled due to risks of leaching and bacterial growth, remains uncertain. Last year, William Shotyk, a Canadian scientist working at the University of Heidelberg, released a study of 132 brands of bottled water in PET bottles stored for six months, and found that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical used in the bottle's production, had leached into the water. Shotyk, who has vowed never to drink bottled water again, is now studying the bottles over a longer term, given the lag times that can occur between bottling, shipping, purchase and consumption. The Canadian Bottled Water Association counters that the levels don't pose a risk to humans. "Technically bottled water will not go bad if you properly store it," Griswald says, though she admits algae will build up if it's left in sunlight in high heat.

Smith predicts concern about internal pollution will increase as more people are tested for chemical contamination. "There's mounting evidence that these containers are leaching toxins into the beverages we're drinking and our children are drinking and there are easy substitutes available," he says. The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. commenced a massive study in 2000. This year, Statistics Canada begins testing 5,000 Canadians for a wide range of contaminants. Early data from the U.S. is troubling, Smith says. "There's empirical evidence that these plastic ingredients are now in the bodies of every citizen," he says. "I am quite sure that a few years from now we will look back at these toxins and shake our heads and wonder, 'What the heck were we thinking?' "

When the scientists who study something, get so turned off they forgo it completely, you know there is a problem and it's just a matter of time before it becomes common knowledge. Cigarettes were once harmless, cocaine was once just another ingredient in Coca-Cola and if you were a menopausal woman the best thing you could once do for your heart and bones was take artificial hormones; their era of benign-ness eventually came to an abrupt, and for some a very upsetting and even disastrous, end. It seems like the era of eating and drinking out of plastics may meet the same fate.

TC