Some of you may be in the habit of using and reusing your disposable water bottles (Wilkins, Viva, etc), keeping them in your car or at work. Not a good idea. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element(something called diethylhydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well.
Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens can leach into the water that YOU are drinking. Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses. This is not something we should be scrimping on. Take care.
Many are unaware of poisoning caused by reusing plastic bottles. Some of you may be in the habit of using and reusing your disposable mineral water bottles (eg. Evian, Aqua, Ice Mountain, Vita, etc), keeping them in your car or at work. Not a good idea. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called diethylhydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for onetime use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well. Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancercausing chemical agents) can leach into the water that YOU are
drinking. Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses. This is not something we should be scrimping on. Those of you with family to please advise them, especially children."
At first glance, this one appears quite similar to an earlier chain letter, warning against microwaving food in plastic containers. Like its predecessor, we find this one to be based on little more than theory and jampacked with misinterpretations of the facts.
Also like its predecessor, this one has roots in media coverage of one person's unsupported hypothesis. The idea that reusing plastic bottles can cause compounds in the plastic to break down into carcinogenic substances comes from a 2001 Master's Thesis by a student at the University of Idaho. Despite the fact that the thesis was not subject to peer review and, thus, lacking any degree of scientific authority, several media outlets picked up on it and ran the typical "whatyoudon'tknowcankillyou" stories.
According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), "DEHA, as mentioned in the email is neither regulated nor classified as a human carcinogen. Further, DEHA is not inherent in PET plastic as raw material, byproduct or decomposition product. DEHA has been cleared by FDA for food contact applications and would not pose a health risk even if present." The IBWA goes on to suggest that the student's findings could be the result of normal laboratory contamination: "DEHA is a common plasticizer used in many plastic items, many of which are found in the lab setting. For this reason, the student's detection (see comment above) is likely to have been the result of inadvertent lab contamination." While the Environmental Protection Agency had earlier labeled DEHA a toxic chemical, they reclassified it due to a lack of evidence.
It is true that many organizations and bottled water companies recommend against reusing their packaging, but the rationale is far less lifethreatening. Rather, they caution that most bottles are not sufficiently cleaned and dried before refilling to prevent possible bacterial contamination. Graham Bauer and Jan Martin have nothing to do with this warning other than they received it or heard the rumor themselves and passed it on, inadvertently adding their identity to the notes.
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