# Chemicals in plastic



## CeeCee (Oct 9, 2008)

I have recently heard that it is a bad idea to reuse plastic bottles because of a chemical in the plastic that can get into the water that is bad for you...can cause breast cancer or something. Has anyone else heard this same thing? I've been kind of worried ever since I heard that because often times I can't finish a whole bottle in one sitting so it sits at room temperature for about a day before I put it back in the fridge to later finish. Am I making a fuss about nothing here or is this something I stop doing?


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## SimeaseDream (Oct 10, 2008)

I've heard something about Sheryl Crowe getting breast cancer from drinking water from bottles that had been left in her car while she was in the gym. Not sure how true that is at all but I did hear something about that floating around. Hopefully someone else on here knows more about this and can give us more insight.


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## tacozuki (Oct 14, 2008)

So the sun can heat up the bottles releasing residual petroleum based chemicals?


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## hague720 (Dec 21, 2008)

I read in an _alternative_ magazine(Nexus) that there were colloids in plastic bottles / containers that had damaging effects.The facts are quite misty to me now ,but I seem to remember that even the HdLPE(?) used for food /drink consumanbles were questionable.

The bottom line is more research is needed to find a definitive answer to this regards Prepping as everybody seems to want to store water long term in DOT approved food grade blue barrels.

As an addendum to this: what is the long term health issues regarding bleach added to the water and the effect on the internal face of the barrels?

This is going to turn into an interesting one I feel........

Cheers , Thomas . North Wales .UK


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## JeepHammer (Oct 10, 2008)

Some plastics do leach toxins into the food/water contained in them as they degrade.

The trick is to keep them away from high heat, UV Light, and Ozone.

*BURNING PLASTICS* creates tons more PCB's and Dioxin than you can image or ever get in a lifetime of eating/drinking anything from plastic containers!

And I'm sure none of you think twice about burning your plastic trash, or sending it off to the incinerator or landfill that burns it in open pits!

Around here, what doesn't go to the recyclers gets reused as plant starter containers, ect., or smashed down and used as base for driveways or insulation under concrete pours.


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## rainbowgardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Pretty scary stuff!
i'll be buying glass baby bottles for the grandbabies. Even babyfood is in plastic these days! I'll be making that for them too and freezing it in glass canning jars.


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## JeepHammer (Oct 10, 2008)

rainbowgardens said:


> Pretty scary stuff!
> i'll be buying glass baby bottles for the grandbabies. Even babyfood is in plastic these days! I'll be making that for them too and freezing it in glass canning jars.


Most 'Hard' plastics don't leach.
Most 'hard' plastics are completely clear...
Like the 'Hard' plastic that sliced 'Deli' meats come in with the top that pops back into place.

Clear is usually OK, not like milk jugs...

Soft plastic stuff, like milk jugs, often does leach pcb & pvc, but the product isn't supposed to be in the jug more than a couple of weeks, and that is a LONG way from long term storage...

But then came the water companies that use the 'Leaching' kinds of plastics for long term water storage!

Don't *LONG TERM* store in tinted, colored, 'Opaque' or 'Soft' plastics,
(milk jugs, butter/margarine containers, 'Cool Whip' containers, ect.)

Polyester bottles, like water/soda bottles are OK,

And don't store anything ACIDIC, like tomato juice, in plastic anything!
The acids will accelerate the leaching process several hundred times.

Also, avoid bottles, plastics, even glass and cook & dinner wear from CHINA.
HUGE LEAD ISSUES WITH GLAZED DISHES AND GLASS FROM ASIAN COUNTRIES!

When we did the lead swabs on the 'China' bowels and plates we have been using for years, the testing gadgets came up with color almost immediately!
The lead content, even after several YEARS of use was still so high the tester reacted immediately!

Acidic Foods stored even over a weekend in a leaded bowl will leach the lead out!

I wish I could find it again,
I just saw an article on which plastics didn't leech and which did,
And how you can tell the difference between the recycle code numbers on the bottom of the containers...
Perdue University just released it about 6 months ago...

When I find it again I'll post the link to the article.
VERY interesting since they post a very easy way to tell the difference in the plastics!


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## usafa93 (Nov 21, 2009)

*BPA Free*

Do a search for "BPA Free" to learn more about the discussion of possible leaching.


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## kogneto (Feb 23, 2010)

here's just a quick article I found after 2 seconds of research 
http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles

as a side note:
I did an article for the university paper about a year ago on plastic water bottles after reading another article from another university that had effectively banned plastic water/soda bottles on their campus. The main reasons for this was the waste they create (most people don't even finish their drink before throwing it away), and the chemicals that can be leached out of the cheaper plastics used.

The article had several other reasons why this wouldn't be possible at our university, mostly because the powers that be didn't have the balls to stand up to the vending machine distributors. This year they added more vending machines in the hallways, and removed the half the drinking fountains in the sports arena to make room for more trophy cases.


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## walsh12 (Mar 22, 2010)

Do not use plastic containers for carrying water, plastic emits certain chemical which harmful for human body. Instead of plastic, use glass containers, they are far better.


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

Not all plastics are the same. Yes glass is probably better suited from a health standpoint....but it is heavier and more prone to breakage. Lots of options. For home storage I have purchased a stainless steel "water buffalo". It is mounted on a trailer and can be moved if the situation allows.


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