Plastic Water Bottles
October 27, 2006
This post has nothing to do with the recent plastic scare. April 16/2008
In a world of plastic, a new frenzy has risen. We might be poisoning ourselves with our plastic containers. 
Suddenly I hear people telling me to not re use my water bottles that I buy, that my Nalgene bottle is going to give me brain damage. Is this really a concern or are we getting excited about something that’s really no big deal? Let’s review both sides of this argument.
“Do not drink out of any plastic container with a recycling number other than two, four, and five” is what I heared coming out of the radio. But what about the plastic surrounding my loaf of bread? What about my cool re-useable water bottles? My Glad Cling Wrap? All these questions I have suddenly about the safety of the plastic surrounding my food. Are we to go back to paper bags and wax paper? Sure that would be much better for the environment, but highly inconvenient and I’m sure it’s not going to happen. So what is the logic behind this new scare?
It seems as though the main concern is DEHA (diethylhexyl adipate) which is used in PET plastics. There’s a problem though, many people mix that up with another acronym DEHA, also used is plastics is diethyl hydroxylamine which has nothing to do with plastic water bottles. According to the Plasticisers Information Centre , none of the above plasticisers are carcenogenic and neither are used in plastic water bottles (Although many people dissagree on that). According to this website, ploethylene terephtalate is the chemical used in water bottles. Here’s is a website backing up that claim.
Other people are concerned about the chemical bisphenol a (BPA). There have been many conerns about this chemical and breast cancer, prostate disorders, and lowered sperm count. BPA is found in many things including baby bottles, plastic food containers, and toys. This is the chemical I am mostly concerned about. It mimics estrogen and is highly unstable over time. It has been known to cause problems in animals, even when used in small amounts. click here for a detailed review of a study on BPA
There is no way to tell what is in the container you are using. Some people think that looking at the recycling number at the bottom will help (drinking out of bottles which are only numbered 2,4, or 5) City TV from Vancouver said that they’ve asked about the number and it has nothing to do with what chemicals are used in the plastic. Dr. Rolf Halden wrote a report on plastics and he says that you should be more concerned about what’s in your drinking water than what is in the plastic.
Another major concern for the re-use of plastic water bottles is that people do not properly clean them so they are becoming breeding grounds for millions of bacteria. Experts say that you should thoroughly wash them and let them completely dhttp://healthsanity.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/adkins_bottle.jpgry between each use.
So what do we take from this? How can we know what evil chemicals are leeching into our food, and into our children’s stomachs? I don’t think we can know right now. We live in a plastic world and if you want to eat then you’re going to have to succomb to the use of plastics.
The picture used is from http://www.portlandart.net/archives/2005/06/new_work_from_b.html
Entry Filed under: health, health canada, plastic, water bottles. .
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1.
Korea Fire Fighting Corporation | February 16, 2007 at 8:06 pm
The Iron Can of Sshaving Foam can be rotten easily in Toilet/Rest Room when touched with water so often, This can be avoided with using Polycarbonate Cylinder as Pressure container inside, just like Fire Extinguishers around world!!
For your references;
Polycarbonate Cylinder*TM* for Pressure-Containers can be used for Fire Extinguishers, Aerosol Sprays for insect killers, Hair Sprays or Topics and also for Spray(Aerosol) Types of Fire Extinguishers;
Main Characteristics of Polycarbonate:
a. Transparent/Nude/Visible/Clean
b. Strong enough for +140C -60C
c. Weather-resistant
d. Impact-Resistant
e. Heat-Resistant
f. UV Sustainable
g. Engineering Plastics from GE, Dow-Chemical, Buyer
h. Tested in Aero-spaces by Astronaut Mr. Amstrong in the Moon.
i. Newly improved by Lexan Calibre and Mikatron
Applications:
1. Fire Extinguishers, Dry Chemical or Wet Chemicals
2. Pressure-Containers, replacing Aluminum or Steel Cans, for Insect Killers or Hair Sprays/Topics
3. Cooking Gas(Butan or LPG) Containers instead of Steel cans
4. Spray types of Fire Extinguishers,
containing Halon, AFFF, Dry Chemicals or Liquids(Reinforced Surffectants)
5. Any Other application without Pressure Containing
Other Chemical properties of PC;
Sound insulation: The hollow form and polycarbonate resin offers
1) Impact strength: The impact strength of solid PC sheets is 250 times
that of glass, and the impact strength of hollow PC sheets is 80 times
that of glass
2) Light weight: the weight of a solid PC sheet is only about half of
glass, and the weight of a hollow PC sheet is only about one twelfth
at the same thickness
3) Transparency: The light transmission of a 3mm solid PC sheet is 88%,
and the light transmission of a6mm hollow PC sheet is 80%
4) UV-protection: A PC sheet is co-extruded with a high-density ultra
violet ray that also keeps the PC sheet from discoloring
5) Resistance to weather: A PC sheet has resistance to bad weather and
maintains excellent properties in a wide temperature range from -40
to 120oC
6) Inhibiting condensation: When the outdoor temperature is 0oC
and the indoor temperature is 23oC, the PC sheet will be
condensation up to 80% humidity
7) Thermal insulation: The K-value of glass is 1.2 times that of solid
a PC sheet and is 1.7 times that of a hollow PC sheet. PC sheets
saves energy while preventing heat loss
significant advantage to that of glass
9) Flame Resistance: Through testing by the National Center for Quality
Supervision & Testing of Fire Building Materials, the material is
rated as Class B1 according to QB8624-1997 standards
10) Easy installation: A PC sheet can be bent while hot or cold and can
be used on curved roves and windows. The minimum radius of curvature
of a PC sheet is 175 times of its thickness.
Technical Features:
Flexural strength: 1002
1) Impact strength: 850J/m
2) Light transmission: 88%
3) Specific gravity: 1.2 g/cm3
4) Coefficient of thermal expansion: 0.065
5) Temperature: -40 to 120oC
6) Heat conductivity: 2.3-3.9 W/m2
7) Tensile strength: >602
9) Modulus of elasticity: 2,400Mpa
10) Tensile street at break: >65Mpa
11) Elongation at break: >100%
12) Specific heat: 1.16J/kg.K
13) Heat deflection temperature: 140oC
14) Soundproofing: (6mm solid): 20db
2.
Richard Brown | May 23, 2007 at 5:31 am
IMHO until we stop over processing our food chain these scare will continue - we must get away from this “chemicalisation” of food…for us OR our pets
3.
bjonesy | March 23, 2008 at 10:38 am
Wow, this blog is nuts. Without the FDA and government, we’d be hostage to polluting corporations.
You folks are clueless to history
4.
healthnag | April 16, 2008 at 12:18 pm
bjonesy - we are hostage to polluting corporations.
Be nice.