Plastic: Practical or Problematic?
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April 30, 2009 • written by Jessica Matthews
Filed under News Feature, featured
Recently, speculation regarding the safety of plastic water-bottle usage has made plastic into more of a problem than a practicality. Many have been warned against the dangers of drinking from water bottles that have either been heated (left in hot cars, etc.) or frozen, due to concern that heat and cold might release certain chemicals within the plastic that seep into the contained water and cause cancer. So are our water bottles safe, or not?
While conclusions regarding the dangers of the soft, one-time-use Zephyrhills-type water bottles remains unclear, there are definite concerns about types of plastic in general. In its National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals published in May, 2008, the Center for Disease Control explains that Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics that are used to make refillable beverage containers including polycarbonate water bottles (hard water bottles), and certain plastic utensils, among other products.
BPA may also be found on the inside of metal food cans and certain baby bottles, as well as in dentistry. People ingest BPA when it seeps into the contained food or liquid. However, the CDC does state that polycarbonate plastics are not used in the flexible, one-time-use plastic water bottles that we associate with brands like Zephyrhills, Dasani, etc. The CDC explains that although scientists have discovered certain reproductive and neurological effects due to the presence of BPA in pregnant animals, its effect on humans is uncertain.
As far as the effects of heating and freezing are concerned, it is important to investigate safety precautions regarding plastic. According to an online article from Science Daily published in February 2008, Dr. Scott Belcher at the University of Cincinnati conducted an experiment revealing that when polycarbonate water bottles are subjected to boiling water, the levels of BPA escape 55 times faster. On a further note, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has established that it is unsafe to put “cold-storage containers” such as margarine containers, into a microwave since chemicals within the container can be absorbed into the food. The FSIS also states that it is unsafe to use food if the surrounding container has melted.
Meanwhile, the Public Health News Center within Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health issued a notice on January 15, 2008 in response to a series of circulated emails warning people against the harmful effects of freezing water bottles. They essentially stated that freezing a water bottle does not release toxic chemicals, and refuted responsibility for the dissemination of such information.
If microwaves can have dangerous effects on plastic, does this mean that a plastic water bottle may melt while sitting in a hot car, and unbenownst to us, insert dangerous chemicals into the water? Or is there a slight possibility of frozen water bottles having the same effect? For one thing, the conclusion about the safety of water bottles is nebulous.
While the common Zephyrhills-type water bottles may not contain harmful chemicals, allowing a water bottle, and especially a hard reusable water bottle, to heat up in a car cannot be a good thing. An article posed in August of 2007 by the online U.S. News and World Report states that consumers should stay away from polycarbonate plastics in baby bottles and other hard water bottles, 5-gallon water cooler jugs, and canned goods, which contain traces of BPA. Yet another article published by U.S. News in September of 2008 advises people to take such precautions as eating fresh fruits instead of canned fruits, using tomato sauce from glass jars instead of canned, using powdered infant formula over liquid, etc. And logically, the more room left in the temperature of our plastic water bottles will allow the more room for safety in the midst of this speculation.
And BPA is not the only questionable plastic chemical out there. Another speculated plastic chemical is DEHP, even though this chemical is not used in the Zephyrhills-type bottles. According to a 2002 report written by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, is yet another chemical used in plastics such as blood storage bags and medical tubing.
The Department of Health and Human Resources, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency both believe DEHP to be a possible carcinogen. There are seemingly a handful of plastic products that may or may not contain chemicals that are potentially carcinogenic, and we should always be acute, aware and cautious consumers.
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Jessica,
Thanks for this informative article. Although things still remain to be seen
regarding the safety of plastic use it does seem caution would be in order. Any suggestions for the safe transportation of water for our little ones attending CCA?
Kathy