is PET bottle hazardous?

[tupai]

Duh Yang AMat Blur sotong me was told by a friend that recycled PET bottles (coke, 7-up, F&N, mineral water etc) is not good for health because the PET/plastic bottle is designed for one-off use and then it must be disposed off.

Is there a scientific proof that the PET plastic kinda leach into the refilled drinking water. Or is it that the Plastic water drinkng container manufacturer like Tupperware, Coleman etc say so and then kiah-si consumers like Yanag Amat Bodoh are 'forced' to buy their container/bottle?

Any one?

Yang Ada Banyak guna recycled PET bottle lato tupai

[wAISEKMAo]

Duh Yang AMat Blur sotong me was told by a friend that recycled PET bottles (coke, 7-up, F&N, mineral water etc) is not good for health because the PET/plastic bottle is designed for one-off use and then it must be disposed off.

Is there a scientific proof that the PET plastic kinda leach into the refilled drinking water. Or is it that the Plastic water drinkng container manufacturer like Tupperware, Coleman etc say so and then kiah-si consumers like Yanag Amat Bodoh are 'forced' to buy their container/bottle?

Any one?

Yang Ada Banyak guna recycled PET bottle lato tupai

Bos,

I understand that PET bottle could cause "mandul". It is not the bottle but PET resins itself that cause it. For your information, I also do not use HDPE / LDPE bag for ta pao drinks because of recycles materials.

[maxima]

received this email some time ago. I am using GlLASS bottle after reading that :mad: :

PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE

A dentist's wife has a tumor in her uterus and need to remove it. Her
doctor told them the possible cause of his wife's tumor is by some
chemical which only affecting women.

The chemical mainly find in plastic water bottle. It is not the water
that affecting you but the chemical releasing from the bottle.
You must check on the bottom of the bottle there is a triangle sign
and there will be a number on it.

Make sure the number is higher than or equal to 5. Then this bottle
is save to use. Whatever number under 5 will release the chemical.
For most bottle water, the number is 1. Remember to check and stop
reuse those bottles.

Those below 5, only use once, should not be reused....

Well wisher.

KHAIRUR RIJAL JAMALUDIN
Lecturer of Fluid Dynamics and Fluid Power System
University Technology Malaysia City Campus 54100 Kuala Lumpur

[tupai]

Bos Hungry Cat,
dont lah call me bos... cooliecutive only. :D

Anyway, any link to scientific proof? other than 'my friend said so...'? Actually my friend also said so...and my friend is full time yeow-char-kwai seller and part-time gossip-king at kopi-o shop...So he is exactly the expert for PET matters :p

how ah??

Yang Ada Banyak minum from recycled PET bottle sotong lato tupai

[tupai]

maxima...thanks for the update. But the advice is incomplete and cannot be verified.

Ok. Many PET bottles have the triangle with a number 1-7 or whatever.

I have just checked my kid's bottle...its marked 7.
Mineral h2o bottles marked 1 or no marking at all (?)
Masterfoods mustard marked 4
Coke/pepsi,7up 1.5 UNmarked(?)
Naturel sunflower oil 1
Buruh 1

sunkist cordial 1

So, we throw all plastic out and start buying tupperwares?

Yang Amat Blur & kia-si lato tupai

[CCY]

When it says ' use once' .....hmmm. Is there any time duration to that? Once in 1month or once in 10years oso consider as 'use once' or not.:confused:

Another thing is 'must not reuse' or is it 'must not recycle'.
Another blur blur here......

[tupai]

When it says ' use once' .....hmmm. Is there any time duration to that? Once in 1month or once in 10years oso consider as 'use once' or not.:confused:

if those PET marked 1 leaches into the content...then what about the cooking oil, margarine etc PET? I dont think we finish our cooking oil or vitalite or cordial or mustard or whatever in 24hours? do we?

Anyone????
Yang Ada Banyak conspiracy theories lato tupai

[maxima]

been doing my research just now. articles on mindfully.org state no plastic is safe (especially the Nalgene,as Dr. Weil agrees) and back it up w/substanial research. one article sites the alternatives, http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Alternatives/Alternatives-Plastic-Goettlich3aug05.htm also, for a definition of each of the plastic codes see http://www.americanplasticscouncil.org/s_apc/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=313&DID=931&rcss=print

Hope some more of these links help :
http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=66&articleID=890
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfeet7.htm
http://www.checnet.org/HealtheHouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=185
http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/howtouseplas.html


take care.

[Ullas Sahadevan]

Here is a link to a PDF with the codes explained. I'm not sure though whether these are present on our bottles. Need to check.

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/bin.asp?CID=1102&DID=4645&DOC=FILE.PDF

[denver]

The numbers on the plastic bottles (1-5) is actually telling you what type of plastic/polymer the bottles are made of, i.e. PET, PP, LDPE etc. Most mineral water bottles are made of PET material, so the number should be 1.

This is an interesting subject. I too have people telling me not to re-use plastic mineral water bottles. When I asked where did they get this info, all said from forwarded emails. I have always been a sceptic on the validity of things that are being forwarded in emails. So I did some checking.

What I found, sort of re-enforce my initial belief – there is no harm in re-using mineral water bottles. Check out these articles (especially the second article):

Urban Legend: Re-using plastic Water Bottles:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

Johns Hopkins University Dispels Myth of Dioxins and Plastic Water Bottles:
http://www.jhsph.edu/PublicHealthNews/articles/Halden_dioxins.html

Plastic Bottles:
http://www.finewaters.com/Newsletter/September_2005/Urban_Legends_about_Plastic_Bottles.asp

Despite the OK given by John Hopkins University, as the article said, do not pour hot water into PET bottles. Hot water may cause the plastic material to melt or release some of the chemicals in the water. I re-use mineral water bottles only on room temperature water.

I have yet to see an article from a credible source that provides solid evidences that re-using PET bottles is bad for health. My logic is that, if it is dangerous, I'm sure governments all over the world would ban the material already. But people's nature is "better be safe than sorry", which indirectly believes all the things being forwarded in emails.

Nevertheless, if anyone found such articles, please share, as this affects many people's health.

[Nowiam]

"My logic is that, if it is dangerous, I'm sure governments all over the world would ban the material already. But people's nature is "better be safe than sorry", which indirectly believes all the things being forwarded in emails. "

You sure they so good? See the debacle with chemicals in meat etc. Ban already? No, they are asking the meat dealers to sign an oath! ;-)

How about the US Govt just 'certified' that Genetically Modified food is safe for human consumption. Perhaps it is. You want to believe this?

I think Govt used to certify DDT safe for use, also leaded petrol was certified safe for use once upon a time. You see what kind of Safety Certified by Govt? What is the Govt? All Seeing All Knowing People? Just go look at the people who Are The Govt. Hmmm. OK, maybe you believe them. That is one's right.

Perhaps one can think of it in simple logic - simple economics, why one would wish to reuse PET bottles over and over, is it to save money? or is it so nice to look at? Gives good taste to water? - if one believes that they save so much 'money' from reusing the PET bottles worth 'any risk' to your health, then you are the Master Of Your Own Body.

I am against believing all this spam mail like you too, but sometimes one got to think for oneself; weigh up the risk benefits. When sick, Govt didn't feel the pain only oneself.

[Nowiam]

This 'Risk' enough?

http://tinyurl.com/yuc77f
or
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/dietfi
tness.html?in_article_id=379624&in_page_id=1798&in_p
age_id=1798&expand=true

In case anyone thinks I boycott PET, I want to say that I utilise PET too. Hard to avoid buying any drink without it. But I try very hard to limit longevity use of it and not to store liquid in it for long periods. This is the least one should think about for one's own good IMHO.

[peterymlee]

I - like many others - use PET bottles regularly. But I make it a point not to use the same bottle for too long (normally about a month) because I am unable to clean the bottle properly - thus I am afraid that bacteria will collect/grow.

[denver]

How about the US Govt just 'certified' that Genetically Modified food is safe for human consumption. Perhaps it is. You want to believe this?

I thought I said "governments all over the world", meaning at least several governments, not just one government. Lets take your GM food as example, the US government is pushing for it, yet other goverments (such as EU) are not in favour. Some governments are not in favour for economic reasons, i.e. to protect their farmer's crops, but other governments are concern about the long term effect of GM food. So from there you know that there is some cause for concern. If there are any cause for concern (for a universal item like PET bottles, colgate or whatever), we would hear about it from these governments, health authorities or universities. Just like we hear the concerns regarding GM food.

My point is, I would take the warnings of governments/health authorities/universities more seriously than I would on warnings received through unsubstantiated contents in forwarded emails.


This 'Risk' enough?

http://tinyurl.com/yuc77f

Now this is something that I would consider seriously. It's from a legitimate source, and this Professor checks out too, his research findings were published in his university's website. This is something new actually, just discovered last year. The last concern on PET bottles was on dioxin, but John Hopskin University has disputed that claim. Now the concern is on "antimony". Need to keep an eye on this issue.

[tupai]

Now I AM REALLY BLUR!...but logic also tells me that the gomen will surely advise the citizen NOT to reuse PET bottles to store water, if it is truly toxic. WHY?

well, all of the rich people in SJaya can afford to buy terra-merra tupperware/branded water container but what about the poorer folks?

So, if water in recycled PET can cause all manner of sickness..who will end up footing the medical bills for the majority of the poorer folks in gomen hospitals? Same logic applies to all gomen USA included no?

Yang Amat Blur sotong lato tupai
p/s COnspiracy theory #1: Plastic container bottle manufacturers are the one who spread this recycled PET leaching toxic scare...no?

[tupai]

Oops! sorry guys...we are actually straying from my orig question: Can we recycle PET bottle? As opposed to discussing leaching of toxin etc in the water already stored in the PET bottle.

I wanna know lah...so as to save money from buying tupperware/branded container as well as to cut wastage lah. me simpleton only lah.

Yang Amat Bodoh lato tupai
P/s back to the digression...if content stored for a ong time in a PET bottle can get leached toxin, then what about our cooking oil, mustard, syrup etc in the plastic container?

pp/s...Singapore also banned the plastic raffia string used in Bachang, as the experts said the string leached toxin into the dumpling...M'sia? dunno lah...but i dont eat so i blur sotong here too.

[AllUrban]

Oops! sorry guys...we are actually straying from my orig question: Can we recycle PET bottle? As opposed to discussing leaching of toxin etc in the water already stored in the PET bottle.PET bottle is recyclable. As for it being resuable, I would only reuse it max 5 times, or max 10 if it were washed regularly.

If you want a reusable plastic bottle for drinking, the best choice is the hard plastic polycarbonate bottles (not squezable).

Be prepared to wash it regularly as the bottle will collect bacteria from your mouth. The advantage is that you can wash it with hot water without affecting the plastic.

I dont think that PET is unsafe, but it is hard to wash it with warm/hot water without affecting the plastic.

Cheers, m

[denver]

Now I AM REALLY BLUR!...but logic also tells me that the gomen will surely advise the citizen NOT to reuse PET bottles to store water, if it is truly toxic.

Yes, that's what my logic tells me too. The PET bottles are used all over the world. If there is a serious health concern, then one of the governments (France, Swiss, US, Japan etc) must surely highlighted this. And regarding this new finding by the Professor:


He found the level of antimony doubled in an average bottle after six months.

But is it dangerous? The professor wasn't willing to go that far, noting more research has to be done and the amount he found was far below what Health Canada claims is a safe level. And most bottles don't sit around for six months.

So I guess it is safe to re-use PET bottles. But it may be good to take some precautions as suggested by others:

- Do not pour hot water in them
- Wash the bottles regularly
- Replace the bottles after 5-10 usage