The problems associated with plastic drinking containers are widely documented. They have been shown to pose danger to the human body --- particularly to fetuses and young, developing children --- and the environmental issues associated with them are cause for concern. Whether the drinking containers are reusable or disposable, the plastics used in their manufacture are poisoning our bodies and our world.
Bisphenol A
In a 2009 study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that participants who drank cold liquid from polycarbonate bottles --- the popular, hard-plastic drinking and baby bottles --- for one week "showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical BPA," or bisphenol A. These results illustrate that the leaching of chemicals into the liquid contained in the bottles is large enough to show up markedly in urine. Heat causes an increase in BPA leaching, so drinking hot or warm fluids from these bottles would mean even higher BPA consumption. BPA disrupts the endocrine gland, causing early sexual maturation, altered mammary development, and decrease sperm production in offspring. Canada banned the use in baby bottles in 2008 due to the increasing evidence of the potential harmful effects of BPA in humans.
Phthalates
Phthalates are another endocrine disruptor found in plastic drinking containers, including those for soda and water, and in baby bottles. Endocrine disruptors alter the proper balance of hormones in the human body, particularly during development. According to "U.S. News and World Report," toxicologists say phthalates "cause a constellation of reproductive defects that includes hypospadias, testicular cancer, reduced sperm quality, diminished penis size, and undescended testicles." Hypospadias is a condition which afflicts 1 in 300 baby boys whose urethras are not at the end of their penis, but can be located underneath, midway up the shaft or even at the base of the scrotum. Phthalate-free products are, as of 2010, showing up in stores and on the Internet, alongside BPA-free baby bottles and water bottles.
Environmental Impact
The number of plastic drinking containers has increased dramatically since 2000 due to the boom in the bottled water industry. As of 2010, however, only about 10% of plastic containers were recycled appropriately, with the rest ending up as litter or in landfills. The composition of the plastic containers that makes them so durable also makes them resistant to decomposition, so each bottle swallows up landfill space for years to come. Melting plastic releases toxic smoke and fumes that contribute to greenhouse gases and attack the ozone layer. If a plastic container ends up as litter in our oceans, it does not biodegrade in sea water. Instead, it breaks down into infinitely smaller pieces when exposed to sunlight, and pollutes our waterways for hundreds of years. It can also be ingested by marine life, who mistakenly think it is food, causing them severe digestive problems and health risks.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: Chemical leaches from plastic drinking bottles into people; Todd Datz; May 21, 2009
- "Time" magazine; The Perils of Plastic; Bryan Walsh; April 1, 2010
- The Earth Institute at Columbia University: Bottled Water
- "U.S. News & World Report" magazine; More Problems With Plastics; Adam Voiland; May 7, 2008
- Heal the Bay: Marine Debris: The Plastic Plague
