'According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year.' (http://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html) This shows just how big the bottled water industry is, and how much plastic is used for this industry.
There have been rumers about plastic bottles being bad for people health, especially when they have been refilled, freezed, microwaved or left in a car.
What do the claims about plastics involve?
A group of hoax emails have been doing the rounds for a few years warning about the so-called dangers of plastic bottles, containers and films. The emails generally warn people about one or more of the following:
freezing water in plastic bottles
reusing plastic water bottles
leaving plastic bottles in cars
microwaving food in plastic containers or covered with plastic films
However, there is no convincing scientific evidence to back up these claims or to suggest that any of these products could cause cancer.
Where do the claims come from?
A health scare began in 2002 when a scientist voiced concerns about the safety of freezing water in plastic bottles on a Japanese television programme. This same programme also warned against microwaving food in plastic containers. The scientist’s opinions subsequently appeared widely on the Internet.
The emails claim that reusing, heating or freezing water bottles releases cancer-causing chemicals called dioxins. Some also mention a chemical called DEHA, a chemical found in plastics that the emails claim could potentially cause cancer.
Some of these emails credit the warnings about plastics to Johns Hopkins University in America, but the university denies any involvement. On their website, they say:
“The Internet is flooded with messages warning against freezing water in plastic bottles or cooking with plastics in the microwave oven. These messages, frequently titled “Johns Hopkins Cancer News” or “Johns Hopkins Cancer Update,” are falsely attributed to Johns Hopkins and we do not endorse their content.”
Other versions of the emails say that the claims are endorsed by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Again, this is not true.
Is there any truth in the claims?
There is no convincing scientific evidence to substantiate these health warnings against plastics. In the UK, there is legislation in place to ensure that all materials that come into contact with food, such as containers for pre-packed food, are thoroughly tested before they can be used. (http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/cancercontroversies/Plasticbottles/ This is where I found this information to back up what I have already said).
However, just because reusing plastic bottles does not cause any harm to the people drinking out of them, doesn't mean it doesn't diminish the taste of the water.
'Unfortunately, reusing plastic bottles further compromises the quality of the water, due to the fact that more and more phthalate leaches its way into the water as the bottle gets older.'
Phthalate is a colorless liquid that has a bitter, disagreeable taste. It is a synthetic substance that is commonly used to make plastics more flexible.
Using this information, means I can really think about how revolutionary the Aquapax brand and packaging is, the fact that it is a paper carton, and not a generic plastic bottle. Also, the taste of the water will be a lot better when reusing the Aquapax bottle, as I have also demonstrated.
