Friday, January 26, 2007

Don't Use Mineral Water Bottles

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 year old girl died after a long usage (16 months) of SAFA mineral water bottle, as she used 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 diethylhydroxylamine 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 scrimping on. Those of you with family - do please advise them, especially children.

Thanks to: "svm sathishkumar" joliest1983@yahoo.com