The Truth About Plastic Bottles

Have you ever taken a sip of water from a bottled water and tasted plastic? I know I have on a rare occasion. Not only does it taste funny, but it can't be good for ya! This spurred me to do a little research on these bottles of "convenience". I have no doubt in my mind that we are now just starting to realize what these plastics have been doing to our bodies. Don't get me wrong, plastics have attributed to the advancement of science and serve many valuable purposes. We just have to choose very carefully which plastics to use.

Tip - All you have to do is turn the bottle upside down and look at the recycling symbol. According to several research findings, #2, #4 and #5 plastics are on the safer side. These are made from polyethylene and polypropylene respectively. Your typical water bottle is made out of #1 plastic and should only be used once. Refilling these water bottles for future use is NOT recommended. Research does suggest that #1 bottles may be easier to recycle into other things.

Sports bottles are everywhere, and most of them of made out of the nastiest plastic of them all, #7- poly carbonate. These extremely durable and most often colorful bottles contain BPA-  or Bisphenol A. This is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to uterine and breast cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly harmful to babies and young children.

For more information, check out: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2138565&page=1 And to top it all off scientists discovered the impact of bisphenol A by accident. A harsh detergent was used to wash water bottles for the mice in experiments exploring why aneuploidy (after division, cells end up with the wrong amount of chromosomes- In humans, aneuploidy is the biggest cause of miscarriages and birth defects, including Down Syndrome, that has been identified) becomes more common in older women. This accident caused an 8-fold increase in the aneuploidy rate in the mice. Subsequent research confirmed that the cause was bisphenol A leaching out of the poly carbonate bottles, and that much smaller amounts of the contaminant were sufficient to increase the rate of chromosomal errors

So, what's the moral of the story? Try to use as little plastic as possible when it comes to your food and beverages. Slowly start to change to glass or ceramic storage containers. When you are at work, fill up a glass of water in a glass and not a plastic cup. Purchase a stainless steel water bottle for when you are on the go. Kleen Kanteens are great. Not only will you be protecting you health, but your bottle will not be one of the 600 million that end up in landfill EACH DAY!

Recommendation: No plastic water bottle is better than any plastic bottle of water. Look into water purification filters for your home and try to plan ahead and carry a stainless steel canteen when you leave home. If you have water you will be less likely to stop at the store to grab one throughout the day. Also do not freeze bottles of water, or drink water that was in a bottle and left in warm temperatures.

Many of you who know me, are probably saying "I used to always see you with a bottle of water". And it is true, I used to prefer the taste of some bottled waters. I can honestly report that it has been quite a while since I have purchased a bottle of water, now that I have switched to the canteen and home purification methods. If I can do it, so can you.