Do you ever leave bottled water in your car for days, and then proceed to drink it? Well, you should stop doing that immediately. According to a study conducted at the
University of Florida last year, high temperatures increase the amounts of harmful chemicals from the bottle’s plastic that are leached into the water.
Plastic water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, which, when heated, release two chemicals called antimony and bisphenol A (BPA). What are these chemicals exactly? Antimony is considered a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. BPA is a chemical that can disrupt normal hormone levels and cause developmental problems in fetuses, babies and children.
Lena Ma, soil and water science professor at UF, led the study that consisted of 16 brands of water kept at 158 degrees Fahrenheit for a four-week period. After the four-week period, her research team tested the chemicals released into the bottle’s water. Of the 16 brands tested, only one passed the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) standard for antimony and BPA.
“If you store the water long enough, there may be a concern,” Ma said. The car isn’t your only issue, either. Ma also warned that leaving bottled water in your garage all summer long can be harmful as well.
Next time you go reaching for a water bottle rolling around your car, maybe you should think twice.
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Tags:
health,
water