refilling soda bottles - am I poisoning myself?

SaraLuna

so instead of using pitchers or buying bottles water, I refill 32oz soda/gatorade bottles and leave them in the fridge so I can always grab some cold water. I've been doing this for years now.

occassionally I'll see people suggest that these types of bottles degrade/leak into their contents and therefore it's unsafe to use them as such. is there any evidence to support this line of thinking or is it just the paranoia of crazy-types?

Dman

if you throw out the old bottles after a month and use new ones you are probably fine.

Shit can and does leach from cheap plastic bottles if they are reused too much.

EggyToast

Is there evidence? Yes. Whether it's unsafe for the general populace is up for debate. Many food items are sealed in a similar plastic and sold with long shelf-lifes, and the evidence is based on scrubbing such containers, introducing abrasions into the surface (increasing surface area, weakening the surface, whatever).

It's Bisphenol-A if you're interested in searching more. I personally don't worry about it, but I also don't have any habits that make me concerned regardless.

Horus

I heard that leaving the plastic bottles in sun light releases the toxins into the liquids but thats like leaving it in your car dashboard in the summer time.
Studies suggest people should buy those water bottles(the sports ones) but I don't understand the difference in materials since both are made from plastic.

Chalkbot

There are many different types of plastic, and several of them have been proven to leak one chemical or another over time that in some way is certainly not healthy.

Safe(r) plastics to drink from (repeatedly over a long period of time) are:

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) (#2)
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) (#4)
PP (Polypropylene) (#5)

Gatorade (like many beverage) bottles are made of PETE plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) (#1) and are NOT recommended for reuse as they will leak the chemical DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), especially when the bottle is damaged. This chemical is associated with hindered development of the male genatelia in adolescents (small penis) among other things.

To check which plastic any container is made of, just look at the number inside of the triangle somewhere on the bottle (usually the bottom). You'll notice your Gatorade bottle has a "1" on the bottom. It's kind of small and hard to see, but it's there.

Forbe!

If you are that worried about plastics leeching, buy some of these.

Proto

Chalkbot wrote: »

There are many different types of plastic, and several of them have been proven to leak one chemical or another over time that in some way is certainly not healthy.

Safe(r) plastics to drink from (repeatedly over a long period of time) are:

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) (#2)
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) (#4)
PP (Polypropylene) (#5)

Gatorade (like many beverage) bottles are made of PETE plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) (#1) and are NOT recommended for reuse as they will leak the chemical DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), especially when the bottle is damaged. This chemical is associated with hindered development of the male genatelia in adolescents (small penis) among other things.

To check which plastic any container is made of, just look at the number inside of the triangle somewhere on the bottle (usually the bottom). You'll notice your Gatorade bottle has a "1" on the bottom. It's kind of small and hard to see, but it's there.

Be aware that while the bottles do leach Bisphenol-A, it's an amount well below a dangerous level. You'd have to drink from some really old bottles for it to be even remotely dangerous.

Doc

Don't:
-microwave the bottles
-pour boiling water into them
-put them in the dishwasher
-leave them in direct sunlight for long periods of time
-scratch them up on the inside with a brush or something

other than that it should be fine

Bartholamue

Or you can just reuse glass bottles.

EggyToast

Hey those thin plastic bottles have a serious advantage -- extremely lightweight. Seriously though, if they're going from your fridge (dark) and only holding water, and then you're using them for a short while and then replace them, anything that could happen will be at such low levels that nothing bad will happen to you.

Plus, all of the research into Bisphenol-A is that it may have some effect, in large doses, among developing animals (children, teens) and pregnant women (affecting their growing fetus).

In other words, stick to Doc's advice. Even if you don't, you'll probably notice a funny flavor and throw the bottle away before you end up chronically poisoning yourself with chemicals that may have potential side effects.

tsmvengy

Proto wrote: »

Chalkbot wrote: »

There are many different types of plastic, and several of them have been proven to leak one chemical or another over time that in some way is certainly not healthy.

Safe(r) plastics to drink from (repeatedly over a long period of time) are:

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) (#2)
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) (#4)
PP (Polypropylene) (#5)

Gatorade (like many beverage) bottles are made of PETE plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) (#1) and are NOT recommended for reuse as they will leak the chemical DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), especially when the bottle is damaged. This chemical is associated with hindered development of the male genatelia in adolescents (small penis) among other things.

To check which plastic any container is made of, just look at the number inside of the triangle somewhere on the bottle (usually the bottom). You'll notice your Gatorade bottle has a "1" on the bottom. It's kind of small and hard to see, but it's there.

Be aware that while the bottles do leach Bisphenol-A, it's an amount well below a dangerous level. You'd have to drink from some really old bottles for it to be even remotely dangerous.

The chemical that plastic soda/water/gatorade bottles leaches is not BPA.

OP, you should get an aluminum or stainless steel water bottle. Reusing plastic soda bottles is not recommended.