Plastic Water Bottle Reuse - Pay Attention

Many are unaware of poisoning caused by re-using plastic bottles. Some of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable mineral water bottles (e.g. Nestle, Bisleri, Aquafina, Kinley, Evian, etc.....), keeping them in your car or at work. Not a good idea.

It happened in Dubai, when a 12 years old girl died after a long usage (16 months) of SAFA mineral water bottle, as she sed to carry the same fancy (painted by herself) bottle to her school daily. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called Diethyl-hydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one- time use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days week max, and keep them away from heat as well. Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancer-causing chemical agents) can leak 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 crimping on. Those of you with family do please advise them, especially children.

This is a special! Warning for families in India who hang on to these disposable bottles and use them for cold water in their fridges for ages. When a bottle looks a bit yellow - please get rid of it as a precaution or else at least read the following.

As you know chemical released by plastic water bottles can cause cancer (It is not the water that affects you but the chemical released from the bottle)

How to avoid: Check the bottom of the bottle there should be a triangle sign and there will be a number on it. If the number is higher than or equal to 5 --> then this bottle is safe to use. Numbers under 5 will release the chemical. For most bottled water, the number is 1. Remember to check and stop reusing those bottles.