All The Convincing You'll Need To Ditch Bottled Water For Good

Daryl Austin | September 16, 2022 | HuffPost

As of 2017, people worldwide are purchasing plastic water bottles at the rate of 1 million bottles per minute, with the average American consuming 45 gallons of bottled water apiece every year.

And though bottled water sales have continued to skyrocket since 2010 ― climbing to a whopping 15 billion gallons of bottled water sold in the United States in 2020 ― data shows and experts say there are compelling reasons to ditch the plastic for good.

Here’s what to know:

There’s some evidence that shows bottled water may contain potentially harmful chemicals in its packaging.

Phthalates, also called plasticizers, are a class of manmade chemicals used to make water bottles and other plastics more durable and flexible. Phthalate exposure has been warned against because of how the chemicals affect a person’s endocrine system, which is the system that produces and releases hormones.

Some studies have found that plastic water bottles alone don’t have contamination levels significant enough to cause harm to bottled water drinkers. However, multiple experts told HuffPost that because most people are already exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals from many other sources every day ― from housecleaning products to some fragrances ― it may be wise to limit additional exposure to such chemicals where possible.

Such chemicals have been linked to a host of reproductive, immune, and neurological disorders, including gestational diabetes, ADHD, fertility issues, liver disease in kids, asthma and an increased risk of breast cancer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is concerned enough about these potential effects that it moved last month to designate another common endocrine-disrupting chemical class, known as PFAS, as “hazardous substances.” These are colloquially called “forever chemicals,” because they can stick around in the environment for decades.

Though phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals aren’t usually detected in water at its original source, the plastic surrounding bottled water can contaminate the liquid over time. Degrees of contamination vary, but experts say that plastic-to-liquid contamination is mostly exacerbated by two things: the amount of time the plastic and drink (or food) are in direct contact, and whether the plastic has been heated while touching the food or liquid.

Bottled water is concerning on both fronts because it’s often stored in warehouses for extended periods of time and then on modes of transportation where temperatures can be high.

“Sitting in such conditions for months or even years before making its way to the consumer is a very long time for such a small amount of water to be surrounded by so much hot plastic,” Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola, an OB-GYN and environmental health expert for the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, told HuffPost.

Emily Barrett, an associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health, added that the reason phthalates separate from plastics in the first place is because they are not part of the plastic matrix itself but are loosely bound to it.

“When exposed to heat, the chemical bonds can break relatively easily, allowing the phthalates to leach into the food or drink contained in that plastic packaging,” she said, noting that such contamination can also occur during production stages when bottled water comes in contact with PVC — one of the world’s most widely produced plastics, known for its hardness — and other plastic machinery.

The amount of plastic surrounding such a relatively small amount of water is also worth consideration.

“Water bottles can be susceptible to contamination because of the prolonged direct contact between the water and the plastic packaging materials and large surface area of contact,” said Dr. Maida Galvez, professor of environmental medicine and public health at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai in New York City.

Metals, bacteria, plastic pieces and more have been found in bottled water before.

Beyond possible exposure to such chemicals, multiple studies have found other substances in bottled water.

“Studies have found traces of pharmaceuticals, microplastics, bacteria and heavy metals,” Barrett explained. Indeed, a Journal of Environmental Health study found heavy metals such as silver, barium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in several popular bottled water brands.

What’s more, research published in 2019 by the National Library of Medicine also found toxins, bacteria, fungus and “microbiological pollutants” in bottled water that are responsible for different diseases in humans, most frequently gastroenteritis or stomach flu.

The study concluded that bottled water is often considered to be safe and sterile, “but, the risk for health should not be minimized [when] taking into account the microbial metabolic diversity and versatility making different species capable to survive, and even multiply in the conditions offered by bottled waters.”

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