Safe Water Storage and Bottled Water
October 18, 2007
The ideal way to store water is in glass bottles, as clean glass is a neutral material and will not add any contamination to the water. Some bottled waters do indeed come in glass bottles but the majority of them come in plastic bottles, as this material is lighter and much less prone to breakage. The problem with plastic bottles is that chemicals from the plastic can leach into the water and also negatively affect the quality. Ever notice how your water tastes like plastic when you leave it out in the sun in a plastic bottle? According to a 2006 article in the Toronto Star antimony (antimony trioxide) has been found to leach into containers. The cumulative effect is something akin to the effect of lead poisoning and it is also a suspected carcinogen. The presence of this substance was found when William Shotyk, the Director of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry at Germany’s Heidelburg University, was studying the groundwater in an area known for having very pure water and noticed the presence of the chemical in bottled water from the area, but not in the groundwater itself. This lead him to suspect that the chemical originated from the containers and not the water itself. The highest concentration of antimony is found in the PET containers which are most commonly used for soft drinks and bottled water. Although the concentration is well below the minimum allowable standard, evidence suggests that antimony tends to accumulate in the body over time. Professor Shotyk acknowledges that it is too early to declare that such containers are a threat, but does state that he has decided not to drink bottled water for the time being. Here’s a link to the doctor’s research.
