Plastic Water Bottles And The Planet
- Wildlife Harm. The amount of plastic water bottles in our oceans is genuinely staggering. ...
- Environmental Harm. Plastic pollution is a big problem in the U.S., and drinking bottled water is making it worse. ...
- Water Waste. Making single-use plastic water bottles is, ironically, a total waste of water. ...
Why we should not use plastic water bottles?
- Don't re-use disposable bottles: drink from them once and then recycle, or invest in a refillable one.
- Don’t rinse out plastic bottles or containers in very hot water as this leeches out BPA, a chemical Dr Glenville says is particularly harmful, 55 times faster than normal.
- Buy BPA-free plastic bottles when possible.
Why are plastic water bottles worse than you think?
The main target for criticism is Bisphenol A (BPA), an organic synthetic compound widely used as a starting material in plastics. The suggestion is that it seeps out of the bottle into the water and causes issues such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and cancer, amongst many others.
What are the problems with plastic water bottles?
The dangers of plastic water bottles are twofold: the source of the water and the possibility of toxins in the water from the plastic it came packaged in. Both are real dangers you should be aware before purchasing water that comes in plastic bottles. There are dangers you don’t know about that come with choosing to drink from a plastic water ...
Why are plastic water bottles a dangerous compound?
One of the biggest dangers of plastic bottles is that they release microplastics which get into the water you end up drinking. A World Health Organisation (WHO) study found that 93% of popular bottled water brands were selling water with plastic fibers.
What is bad about plastic water bottles?
This type of plastic contains BPA, which has been banned in countries around the world, including the European Union and China, due to its toxicity. BPA exposure is linked to multiple health effects including fertility issues, altered brain development, cancer, and heart complications.
Why is plastic bottles bad for the environment?
80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills. U.S. landfills are overflowing with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles. It takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle of water to decompose. Each bottle leaks harmful chemicals into our environment along the way as it decomposes.
Why should plastic bottles be banned?
Plastic water bottles should be banned because they contribute to pollution, destroy habitat and marine life, are a waste of resources and money, are unnecessary, and contribute to climate change.
Why is plastic water bad for you?
The problem with plastic water bottles made using BPA and BHPF is that they release these chemicals into the water. BP and BHPF are believed to disrupt our hormones, especially estrogen.
Why is it important to reduce the amount of water in plastic bottles?
It would also reduce exposure to potentially contaminated sources of water and to the toxic chemicals emitted from the plastic bottles themselves and the plastic bottle manufacturing plants.
How Do Plastic Bottles Contribute to Global Warming?
Because few plastic water bottles are recycled, more must be manufactured. The manufacturing process releases a host of toxic chemicals such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene, into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases like sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, and volatile organic compounds are also released into the atmosphere during this process. Additionally, when the bottles are being transported to the bottling plants, tons of carbon dioxide are released into the air.
What Can I Use Instead of Plastic Water Bottles?
There are lots of eco-friendly water bottles that you can use instead of plastic water bottles. Stainless steel and glass bottles are some of the best alternatives to plastic water bottles.
Should Water Bottles Be Banned?
In America alone, over 50 billion plastic water bottles are consumed each year. Less than half of these bottles are recycled. The rest end up somewhere in our environment causing lifelong damage.
Why is drinking bottled water bad for you?
Drinking bottled water can cause development and fertility issues. One of the many problems with plastic water bottles is that most of them contain BPA. BPA is an industrial chemical that’s used to make certain plastics and resins.
Why do people buy bottled water?
Most of us buy bottled water despite the many problems with plastic water bottles because we believe that bottled water is of higher quality and more pristine than our tap water. Most bottled water companies make it seem like their bottled water is purer than tap water. The truth is that water that is bottled from special springs is rare.
What You Can Do to Reduce Plastic Pollution
Easy. Stop buying plastic bottles. Say “no” to single-use and start taking steps towards making sure that you don’t go back to that wasteful lifestyle.
The Bottom Line
At Trayvax, we ensure that our products are crafted from sustainable resources. That’s why our very first water bottle is made from Nalgene, an environmentally friendly material made from recycled plastic waste. The best part? It’s BPA-free.
Why are plastic water bottles dangerous?
The dangers of plastic water bottles stem from the chemicals used to manufacture the bottles. As plastic bottles heat up, the molecules in the bottle move around more rapidly and can leach into the products they hold.
What is BPA in water bottles?
The primary criticism you’ll see leveraged at plastic water bottles circles around the compound bisphenol A, otherwise known by its acronym ‘BPA’. BPA was first developed in the 1890’s as a synthetic estrogen, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that it began to see use in early epoxy resins. Shortly thereafter, major manufacturers discovered that, when used in specific ways, BPA could produce a type of plastic known as polycarbonate.
How long can you keep PET bottles in hot water?
However, unlike BPA, PET bottles must be stored in very hot conditions for long periods of time, up to 38 days, until levels of antimony exceed safety thresholds.
How much carbon is produced from plastic in 2050?
It is estimated that between now and 2050, plastic production and incineration will result in nearly 56 billion tons of carbon emissions, which is roughly 50 times that of all of the coal power plants in the United States.
What products contain BPA?
Food storage containers. Compact discs. Dental sealants. Water supply pipes. Safety equipment. Many of these products still contain BPA today, unless they are specifically noted to be “BPA-free”. In the United States, the use of BPA in food products is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Can you use BPA free water?
Though avoiding BPA specifically in drinking water containers is possible thanks to the rise of BPA-free plastics, tracking which chemicals those plastics do contain can be challenging. Experts recommend avoiding plastics with the recycling numbers 3, 6, and 7 to start. But the best alternative is to simply abandon plastic containers for drinking water entirely.
Is drinking water from plastic bottles safe?
While proponents within the plastic water bottle industry argue that drinking water from plastic bottles is safe to consume, advocates outside of the industry tell a different story. Let’s take a closer look to discern whether drinking water from plastic bottles is safe, and if it isn’t what you can do to protect your health and the health ...
How often can you refill a water bottle?
And when you take a drink, your mouth may come into contact with the germy outer surface of the bottle. "You can refill the bottle as often as you like for 24 hours, but then discard it," Tierno says. In an August 2018 study in the Journal of Exercise Physiology , researchers compared 30 used disposable water bottles belonging to gym-goers ...
What is the number 7 in PET bottles?
Some PET also has bisphenol-A (BPA) and similar chemicals, although these are more frequently found in bottles with the number 7 in the recycling symbol. Research suggests that BPA is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it may interfere with the body's hormones.
How many gallons of water do Americans drink a year?
In fact, Americans are drinking somewhere in the neighborhood of 13.7 billion gallons of bottled water each year (that's more than 36 gallons per person), according to an August 2020 Research and Markets report.
Which is easier to clean, glass or metal?
In comparison, reusable metal or glass bottles are much easier to clean, thanks to their smooth, flat surface.
Does recycling water bottles reduce waste?
Reusing plastic water bottles might help reduce your waste, but it could compromise the quality of your H2O.
Can you reuse water bottles?
But you might want to reconsider reusing disposable water bottles. Research suggests that sipping from single-use bottles for multiple days can lead to both bacterial growth and chemical leach. Read on for the 101 on your H2O.
Can chemicals seep out of plastic?
On the other hand, chemicals can seep out of plastic that is scratched or rough, according to the National Poison Control Center, and the longer your bottle has been kicking around, the more dinged-up it will be. Guron explains that creating space between the particles of plastic (for example, via a scratch, or stretching the bottle if the water inside freezes and expands) makes it easier for additives to escape.
How many plastic water bottles will be used in 2021?
Public consumption of plastic water bottles has continued to rise over the years, amounting to about 20,000 bottles being bought every second. It is estimated that annual consumption of water bottles will top half a trillion by 2021.
How can we reduce plastic waste?
One of the best ways to curb this waste and the possibility of consumption is by reducing your use of disposable plastic bottles.
Where do microplastics end up?
Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters long that come from a variety of sources such as larger plastic pieces, resin pellets, or microbeads and end up in oceans or consumed by wildlife.
Is plastic water bottle use increasing?
The rise in plastic water bottle use has been under scrutiny for many years now, drawing attention to the fact that unchecked use is effecting the environment at an alarming rate. For instance, by 2050 scientists estimate that the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.
Is plastic bad for the environment?
WHO has begun to review the potential health risks of plastic in drinking water in order to gain insight into evidence gaps and set a research agenda for risk assessment. Plastic waste is extremely harmful to the environment and penetrates every aspect of it, including the land, oceans, marine life, and our own bodies.
Is there microplastic in water bottles?
And as recently as this year, scientists have begun to discover the alarming amounts of microplastics that may be present in a majority of plastic water bottles being consumed.
What Are Plastic Water Bottles Made of?
Tap Water vs. Bottled Water
- One of the main reasons Americans buy so much bottled water is the perception that it’s better for us than tap water. But is this really the case?
Plastic Water Bottles and The Planet
- Less than 25%of the plastic water bottles purchased in the U.S. are recycled. Meaning over 75% of all plastic water bottles in the U.S. end up in landfill or just discarded carelessly elsewhere. This harms the planet in many ways.
Plastic Water Bottles and Human Health
- It’s not just the planet that’s affected by plastic water bottles. They can also be detrimental to human health in numerous ways.
Plastic Bottles and The Economy
- As mentioned in our article on why plastic bags are bad, plastic is big business. It holds just as true for the bottled water industry as it does for the plastic bag industry. Remember, the U.S. gets through 11 million barrels of oil annually to produce 137 million plastic water bottles daily. These are big numbers, and with big numbers come big profits for the oil and plastic companies. Profit…
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Are The Best Toxin-Free Reusable Water Bottles?
When shopping for a reusable water bottle, look for BPA-free plastic or stainless steel. Check out our full list of recommendations here. - How Long Does It Take For A Plastic Bottle To Decompose?
Plastic pollution is a big problem due in no small part to the time it takes to decompose. Bottled water waste can take around 500 years to decompose fully.