Plastic water bottle dangers

Are you one of those people who continually reuse your Pump or other water bottle? You also don't see the point of buying water all the time if you can just refill the bottle you have. If you're like me you probably have a few half filled water bottles in various rooms and rolling round in your car. It's probably been there for a week or 2, ready for you to take a sip when you happen to be in that room or in your car. You can relate to the above? then read on as reusing water bottles could be detrimental to your health. I recently got an email from an avid Go Figure viewer who also got the dangers of water bottles highlighted to her so thought I'd share with you:

" This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and she said this same exact thing. So in these hot weather months ahead please be very careful. One lady whose mother recently got diagnosed with breast cancer.

Story in short.....The doctor told her women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not drink that water bottle that has been left in a car and pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us!!!! The heats causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle when you can!"

It's great that you are prepared to drink water as its important to stay hydrated during the day or when you're driving. But as you can see holding on to your Pump, H2go or other sports water bottle for more than a week could be harmful to your health. Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which are generally safe when is used as its intended ie to carry water for a short time. But research has shown that the platic breaks down over time and the longer you use the bottle, more of the plastic ends up in the water bottle.

Apart from plastic, dangerous bacteria and potentially toxic compounds have also been found in water bottles are are frequently reused.

"One of the toxins that frequently appeared in water samples from the reused bottles was DEHA, a carcinogen regulated in drinking water because it has been linked to weight loss, liver problems, or possible reproductive difficulties. It is also suspected that DEHA can cause cancer in humans"a Dr Von Braun said.

Bacteria buildup. The other problem with reusing the plastic bottle is that there's a bacteria buildup in the nozzle of the bottle if you keep the bottle for a few weeks. To overcome this, you can squirt the water directly into your mouth so that you're not actually sipping from the nozzle or take the nozzle off totally and drink from the bottle that way to avoid bacteria.

What you can do? Probably the thought of buying a new Pump or H2go bottle a week sounds expensive but if it could lessen the risk of any harmful effects on your health then it could be an option to consider. Alternatively, you could buy a harder plastic container, stainless steel or use glass. Happy hydrating!