Plastic bottles

[GOPHER SLAYER]

The companies who sell bottled water tell us not to refill them because the plastic will degrade and make the water harmful to drink. My question is, does the plastic only degrade after you open the cap the first time? Does anyone know what the truth is?

[Hickory]

The water in the bottle started picking up chemicals with the original fill. And bottled water sold on sale is usually "old" and already has chemicals in the water.
Always check the expectation date.

[JBinMN]

I think selling bottled water is one of the biggest rip offs I have ever seen for most instances. My missus disagrees, since she buys them, but mostly on sale.. I can see the use of it as a water supply in catastrophes, but not so much for just buying to get a drink of water. It is a convenience thing IMO. Folks just don't carry thermoses & canteens, etc much anymore for some reason. I still do, so perhaps that jades me.

I might also add ( or maybe "admit") that I re-use water bottles that the missus buys, by filling them with water from the tap, and sometimes I add some flavorings. I like to keep one on the nightstand by the handgun for those middle of the night thirsts. Capped to keep it somewhat fresh & help prevent spillage if I bump it.

Anyway, I have not died from refilling them yet though, but perhaps, as you can see from my posts, that sometimes it may have had some effect on my brain.Well.... Gotta go now, these tremors & twitches & blurry vision I am having right now are getting more active. I think I need to go get a drink of water. What were we talking about anyway?
;)

P.S. -
The group tested 10 different bottled water brands. ... The bottled water industry acknowledged something many consumers don't realize: Up to 45 percent of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies -- not springs. "I like to say purified water is more than just tap water in a bottle," Doss said Wednesday.Oct 16, 2008

Have a look: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6049308

[dragon813gt]

Nestle "Pure" brand is from municipal water supplies. Dasani and Aquafina, the two best selling brands, are also from municipal water sources. If people don't check the labels that's on them.

[Tom W.]

Tap water here makes me ill.I can tolerate a small cup full,but for regular drinking I have to have it filtered. Even my coffee water. Bottled water I get from the hospital. I mostly drink Gatorade and coffee.

[xs11jack]

Costco's Kirkland bottled water is cheaper than the municipal water here in O Fallon. And the Municipal water tastes like swap scum water in the spring and summer and like pesticides in fall and winter. The date on the Kirkland bottles is for determining the date the bottle will start to fall apart, or so they say.
Ole Jack

[MUSTANG]

I thought plastic was evil and would not deteriorate for 10 million years.

[Bookworm]

We keep a few cases on hand for emergency use. My area is prone to use storms, and power can be knocked out for weeks. I'm on a well, so an emergency supply is crucial.

We do rotate the cases out, but I pay little attention to expiration dates. I figure, it's water, how can it expire ?

[richhodg66]

I think selling bottled water is one of the biggest rip offs I have ever seen for most instances. My missus disagrees, since she buys them, but mostly on sale.. I can see the use of it as a water supply in catastrophes, but not so much for just buying to get a drink of water. It is a convenience thing IMO. Folks just don't carry thermoses & canteens, etc much anymore for some reason. I still do, so perhaps that jades me.

I might also add ( or maybe "admit") that I re-use water bottles that the missus buys, by filling them with water from the tap, and sometimes I add some flavorings. I like to keep one on the nightstand by the handgun for those middle of the night thirsts. Capped to keep it somewhat fresh & help prevent spillage if I bump it.

Anyway, I have not died from refilling them yet though, but perhaps, as you can see from my posts, that sometimes it may have had some effect on my brain.Well.... Gotta go now, these tremors & twitches & blurry vision I am having right now are getting more active. I think I need to go get a drink of water. What were we talking about anyway?
;)

P.S. -

Have a look: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6049308

Isn't it a coincidence that "Evian" is Naïve" spelled backwards?

I always drink out of the tap. We're on a well here, but even before that I did. Only place I ever drank bottled water was in the middle east and brother, you don't want to drink tap water there.

People who drink bottled water are kidding themselves.

[bob208]

I did a lot of research on this. for a man bottled water in plastic is the worst thing he can drink.it kills testosterone and adds estrogen to your system. no matter the age. if the bottle is exposed to sunlight or heat the plastic starts to leach. heating food or drink in the microwave in plastic is just as bad or worse.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I can't drink water from the tap so we installed a filter on the faucet. They have built so many houses in the area the aquifer is almost pumped dry and tastes gross but they keep handing out building permits. Money does speed up the process.

[StolzerandSons]

I did a lot of research on this. for a man bottled water in plastic is the worst thing he can drink.it kills testosterone and adds estrogen to your system. no matter the age. if the bottle is exposed to sunlight or heat the plastic starts to leach. heating food or drink in the microwave in plastic is just as bad or worse.
Better lay off the beer also. The hops in beer is estrogenic and is even being researched as a treatment for menopausal women.

[GhostHawk]

Well I admit it, I'm addicted to flavored bottled water.

Used to be a big Aquafina buyer, mostly berry. Then they disappeared off the shelves, came back with some carbonated product which I won't buy. Then those went away.

I'd like to see the old product come back.

I try to limit myself to one a day. But at even one a day the empty's pile up.

So I have been periodically bleaching them, rinsing them, refill with cold municipal tap water. Stack them in boxes, porch, basement, box in each car, back deck. We have water all over. And a small mountain of empty's.

Lately it has been back to Propell water. Black cherry mostly, although the lemon and manderin orange flavors are not bad either.


I figure if the power goes out each of those bottles is going to mighty handy to have on hand. Call me silly, if I am staring death in the face because of no power, thus no water. You think I'm going to care about possible chemical's from the PET bottles in the water?

People can choose to worry about whatever they like. Me I don't think I'll lose much sleep over my water bottles.

Like JBinMn I have a big selection of Dassani drops and other flavors. We also have one of those big 5 gallon jug water dispensors, hot and cold next to the fridge. I often add some flavor, maybe 2/3rds of a teaspoon of sugar and fill it with fresh cold water.

We don't buy the water jugs. I did some looking when we first got the unit. Found a home water filter unit and 2 activated charcoal filters for about 25$. Plumbed it in down in the basement with garden hose and ball valve. And a short hose on the output side, with a copper 90 at the end. That just snaps into the hole in the top of the jug. I always flush the lines into the sump pump just to keep the garden hose rubber flavor out.

Run it till the sump pump kicks in. My wife prefers my elcheapo water to every other water she has tried. Been almost a year, still on the first filter. Might have to think about changing it come spring. We do have 2 5 gallon jugs of store bought, just in case.

I have to admit I use the hot water to make my coffee every morning. Fill my cup, pour it into my Aeropress. Stick the plunger in and let it steep for 30 seconds while I cream and sugar my cup. Then run it through and pour it into my cup. Real easy, no waiting, does not seem to add much to the power bill.

Ours is a Primo and we are very happy with it.

https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/817206/817206011415_07978471.jpg

[bangerjim]

Some plastics use BPA in the formula. Some bottled products state "NO BPA". Do an internet search for BPA and read for youself. That will allow you to decide what is BEST for you and not rely on a bunch of lead slingers to advise about your health.

I drink bottled water and have for over 20 years with no problems! Our tap water is 1600uMohs (hard as a nail) and tastes like c>>p. But the city meets the EPA requirements for potable drinking water. (Long O on the word potable)

Banger

[Kosh75287]

My question is, does the plastic only degrade after you open the cap the first time? Does anyone know what the truth is? I don't KNOW this to be the case, but the degradation may occur when the plastic is exposed to uV light in the presence of oxygen. Once you empty the bottle, it's exposed to air, which is like 28% oxygen. When you refill it, the degradation products go into solution in the replaced water? Just a thought.

[myg30]

There was a media thing a while back about drinking from plastic water bottles left in your auto that has heated up during the day. Bad for you !!!
All the pallets of water bottles left in the SUN, in front of the convienence stores,then put into the coolers for you buy cold. Bad for you !
The truck loads of plastic water bottles on pallets, trucked in the HOT SUN, heated like the inside of ur car, then put out for you to buy inside the air conditioned stores are BAD FOR YOU.
Just another way to look at the water you drink in plastic bottles.

Mike

[jimlj]

The companies who sell bottled water tell us not to refill them because the plastic will degrade and make the water harmful to drink. My question is, does the plastic only degrade after you open the cap the first time? Does anyone know what the truth is?

This is only my opinion, so don't take it as fact.
If you refill a plastic water bottle, the companies who sell filled water bottles lose a sale. Naturally they don't want you refilling the bottles, and will do anything to dissuade you from doing it.

[GhostHawk]

This ^ Exactly.

Well said sir.

[Pine Baron]

But those empty bottles make good targets!

[mold maker]

You can only live a few days without water, whether from a tap, bottle or mud puddle. Make your choice and live with it.
Did ya ever see what collects/grows inside your pipes? Look inside your toilet tank.
Bottled water is less of a problem than soda or flavored water, in that there is acid (usually citric) in them that cleans the inside bottle surface of anything that water will absorbe.

[MUSTANG]

I don't KNOW this to be the case, but the degradation may occur when the plastic is exposed to uV light in the presence of oxygen. Once you empty the bottle, it's exposed to air, which is like 28% oxygen. When you refill it, the degradation products go into solution in the replaced water? Just a thought.


Picking Nits on air make up:

78.09% nitrogen
20.95% oxygen
0.93% argon
0.04% carbon dioxide
and small amounts of other gases.

[bedbugbilly]

Have no dog in this fight but just want to ask a simple question . . . .

If the plastic is so bad for you . . . then why hasn't our government that wants to run our lives and "protect" us all banned the plastic bottles? Let's see - bad for health . . . don't break down for millions of years . .. and I seem to see quite a few of 'em along the side of the road where they either get thrown out or they blow out of the back of a pick up whose owner just tosses them in the back when done with the bottle. If it is supposed to be so "pure" and "good for you" over your own well water, then why do they allow "municipal water" - yea, I know, municipalities have to pass minimum tests for purity but let's face it - municipal water can have a lot of bad things in it. Don't believe it? Google "Flint Michigan".

Seems like the "guvment" would have been all over this during the previous Administration that lasted eight Looooooong years, especially since the were so "green". Funny how the tree huggers didn't have a problem with Obamacare was passed and it required at least one piece of paper be sent to every taxpayer in the country that was used to prove that you either had or didn't have health insurance so they could collect the "fine" if hey didn't - I didn't see too many folks upset about how many trees it took to make the paper for that form?

So if the plastic bottles are so bad - and I'm not saying they are or aren't - but if they are then what about the thousands lying along the roadways and the millions that end up in the landfills every year - 'cause let's face it, they all don't get "recycled". Are they leeching bad chemicals back in to the ground that could contaminate the ground water?

Personally, I don't like the taste of bottled water - I'd much prefer to drink from the tap but then I drank from many hoses as well when I was a kid . . . not to mention the tin cup that was chained to the pump on the farm that everyone drank from. Kind of really makes me wonder why I'm not dead yet? :-)

[DCP]

We refill aluminum beer containers. Don't take them with you while your driving LOL

[MyFlatline]

Plastic and garden hoses only cause Cancer in California..Just read the label.

[Grmps]

I was told many years ago to keep ALL plastic beverage containers out of the sun to slow down contamination.

[snowwolfe]

I have a lot more important things to think about than a water bottle.

[Duckiller]

I would like to know how water in a sealed container gets "old"? The 16-20 oz bottles are great way to take water to a duck blind. Way better than drinking water that ducks poop in. One bottle usually last a season. As for government protecting us. Cigarette smoke is supposed to be killing us but I can buy cigarettes anywhere. Makes me wonder about the Surgeon General's report.

[starmac]

Unless it has changed, bottled water is THE only product sold for human consumption that is unregulated by the government.

When they first came out with it, I figured it was a big time fad, nobody would buy it, boy was I wrong. To date I do not think I have ever bought a bottle of it, I do buy distilled water for my trucks though. lol

[dbosman]

Speaking of containerize water, when the local Civil Defense shelters on the university campus were emptied out - they sold the candy, canned crackers, water cans, large water containers and everything else, through the campus surplus store. The crackers were great. Almost matzah, but with flavor. The containers were nifty for storage. The candy that wasn't sold was given out by the near by cities for Halloween.
The canned water cans were half full. Half full. Roughly 25 years in storage and the leak proof cans had lost half the water. I don't trust anything for true long term water storage.

[Mtnfolk75]

This is only my opinion, so don't take it as fact.
If you refill a plastic water bottle, the companies who sell filled water bottles lose a sale. Naturally they don't want you refilling the bottles, and will do anything to dissuade you from doing it.

/\/\/\/\/\ ...... [smilie=s:

[Walkingwolf]

Small amounts of benzene can be released from plastic that is in the sun. The amounts are so low I doubt they are harmful. I do notice the taste between glass, and plastic in drinks that have alcohol, or acids. People who have tasted bottled milk know what milk should taste like, but like many things that is in the past for the most part.

If concerned use a glass bottle for sun tea instead of plastic.

[David2011]

OMG! We played Alamo and Army in the suburbs. We didn't have a creek or spring so we made a spring using a GARDEN HOSE and Gulf Coast "gumbo" mud. We drank from it! So many years later I'm alive with no ailments. How did that happen?

[JBinMN]

OMG! We played Alamo and Army in the suburbs. We didn't have a creek or spring so we made a spring using a GARDEN HOSE and Gulf Coast "gumbo" mud. We drank from it! So many years later I'm alive with no ailments. How did that happen?

How did it happen? No plastic bottles to drink from back then, prolly...

;)

Just joshin around. It's early here. And I have a strange sense of humor to some.
;)

[xs11jack]

I look at it this way, in the recent news was this story about a guy that was 106 yrs old and smoked 12, ya 12 cigars a DAY. His doc said his lungs were fine. So, when am I going to die of plastic bottle disease? I just don't care, God already knows the number of my days and that is good enough for me.
Ole Jack