Friday, April 10, 2009

Water bottle warning


Since I live in my car, I usually have my usual staples on hand; clementines in my purse and a water bottle. I have been meaning to change to the stainless steel bottles free from toxins but it just hasn't happened yet. That is to change this weekend. The urgent call to action? Here is the dealio; I went to reach for my water to wet my whistle a bit and I accidentally grabbed the older water bottle that was warm, startling my mouth a bit. I instantly remembered an incident my SIL Melissa had some years back with her warm water bottle. We were at the park with the ninos and she went to her car to get her water. She came back and took a swig and spit it out with gusto. She dumped out the water and it was a goo type material I have never seen come out of a water bottle. It was the consistency of a gelatinous corn syrup. I think we both lost a bit of our lunch that day. The water had somehow chemically changed with the warm plastic. Well, to finish my story leading to my call to action, I came home this afternoon and sat down to check my emails. I opened this one from Be Young oils which included a warning from John Hopkins about warm water bottles. Read it and decide for yourselves. It talks about warm water bottles and freezing water bottles. It doesn't talk about regular water bottles but who is to know if the water companies who shipped it didn't let it get warm? I don't want to guess. Read it and think about it. We all know we are polluting our world with plastic anyway so for me, its time to go stainless. Let me know what you think.

(Since posting this, comments were made saying Dioxins are not present in plastics, please read next blog for additional info.)


" Women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. Pass this on to all the women in your life. Health effects in humansDioxins build up primarily in fatty tissues over time (bioaccumulate), so even small exposures may eventually reach dangerous levels. In 1994, the US EPA reported that dioxins are a probable carcinogen, but noted that non-cancer effects (reproduction and sexual development, immune system) may pose an even greater threat to human health. TCDD, the most toxic of the dibenzodioxins, is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). TCDD has a half-life of approximately 8 years in humans, although at high concentrations, the elimination rate is enhanced by metabolism.[18] The health effects of dioxins are mediated by their action on a cellular receptor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).[19]Exposure to high levels of dioxins in humans causes a severe form of persistent acne, known as chloracne.[20] A case-control study has shown an elevated risk of sarcoma (a type of cancer) associated with low-level exposure (4.2 fg/m3) to dioxins from incineration plants.[21] High levels of exposures to dioxins have been shown by epidemiological studies to lead to an increased risk of tumours at all sites.[21] Other effects in humans may include:
Developmental abnormalities in the enamel of children's teeth.[22][23]
Central and peripheral nervous system pathology[24]
Thyroid disorders[25]
Damage to the immune systems.[26]
Endometriosis[27]
Diabetes[28]Recent studies have shown that exposure to dioxins changes the ratio of male to female births among a population such that more females are born than males.[29]Dioxins accumulate in food chains in a fashion similar to other chlorinated compounds (bioaccumulation). This means that even small concentrations in contaminated water can be concentrated up a food chain to dangerous levels due to the long biological half life and low water solubility of dioxins.
On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said this is what caused her breast cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue. "
This articled also warned about heating food in plastic and also freezing your food in plastic. I know we all know this but it is always a good reminder. Yuck.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/plasticbottles.asp

While I do believe there is some merit in not drinking from plastic water bottles, this particular claim, according to Johns Hopkins, is an urban legend. Let us know if you find concrete evidence to suggest differently. Thanks, as always!

Anonymous said...

I heard this one a year or two ago as well and looked into it. John Hopkins directly refutes it:

http://www.jhsph.edu/dioxins

It's a hoax.

Terri Burges Hirning said...

Shari, I left a case of water out by the pool after a pool party. It got shoved away, out of sight and the following year I pulled one out, thinking nothing of it. Oh man!!! Just like your friend's, I spit out the water. It tasted HORRIBLE with all the chemicals leeching out. YUCK!! That taught me a huge lesson. And, speaking of Dioxin, that is the byproduct of bleach so another reason to GET RID of bleach from our homes. Not to mention the odorless vapor hovers at calf level, perfect for our little ones crawling and breathing it in all day. I can't even think of all the time I used bleach....bleck!! Great posting, good things to remember (regardless of the snopes findings, plastic is NO BUENO for the most part!!).

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