Small amounts of chemicals have been found in drinking water kept in hard plastic drinking bottles. A chemical used in the manufacture of polyethylene terephthalate bottles, called antimony, is being cited by Heidelberg University researchers as a potential health risk. In addition, the potentially harmful chemical bisphenol A has been found in plastic polycarbonate drinking bottles, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.
BPA in Polycarbonate Bottles
Harvard School of Public Health research shows that study participants increased their levels of a chemical called BPA by two-thirds after drinking from a plastic polycarbonate bottle for just one week. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used in many American products since the 1960s. BPA is found in hard plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, and is also used in many other ways, such as in the lining of beverage cans and in dental composites.
Research on BPA
Exposure to BPA may cause problems with reproductive development in animals. In human studies, BPA has been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, Harvard researchers say. The 2009 study is the first to show that BPA products like hard drinking bottles "release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine."
Antimony in Polyethylene Bottles
Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is used extensively to package food in the United States, largely bottled water and carbonated soft drinks in hard plastic drinking bottles. Its properties are "well suited for lightweight, large-capacity and shatter-resistant containers," according to the website, PlasticsInfo.org. Yet, research on plastic bottles and the chemical antimony, by Dr. William Shotyk, adds more questions about their safety. Shotyk's research was published by Heidelberg University and in the "Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry."
Research on Antimony
In one of a series of experiments, Shotyk made a comparison between three brands of water available in both glass bottles and PET bottles. The water bottled in PET plastic contained up to 30 times more antimony. The researchers also found that the amount of the leached antimony grew the longer the water was stored in plastic PET bottles.
Experts Weigh in on BPA
According to the FDA, standard toxicity tests have supported the safety of the chemical BPA. However, based on new studies, the FDA expresses concern regarding what it calls the "potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children."
The FDA, along with the National Toxicology Program, is currently doing in-depth studies to answer key questions regarding BPA's safety. The FDA is also looking for alternatives to BPA, as well as urging the industry to cease producing the baby bottles and infant feeding cups containing BPA.
Expert Stance on Antimony
According to Heidelberg University, the tested bottles were found to contain chemical concentrations "well below the guidelines commonly recommended for drinking water." Still, researchers assert that a noted continuous release of chemicals from hard plastic containers is "bothersome."
The FDA considers the current levels of antimony in plastic bottles and other products safe. However, it is monitoring antimony levels in products, along with beryllium, cyanide, nickel, thallium and other substances.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: BPA, Chemical Used to Make Plastics, Found to Leach from Polycarbonate Drinking Bottles Into Humans
- Discovery: Plastic Water Bottles May Pose Health Hazard
- Plastics info.org: Safety of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- FDA: Update on Bisphenol A for Use in Food Contact Applications: January 2010
- Heidelberg University: Bottled Waters Contaminated with Antimony from PET
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