Danger of refilling used plastic drink bottles & bull; hello healthy

Bottled drinking water can be a part of your daily life. Easy to get anywhere, compact, and inexpensive, making bottled drinking water is now available in various brands and sizes. However, this convenience is not without risks, some people and some organizations are starting to realize the effects caused by the use of bottled drinking water, especially the plastic bottles used. Not only disturbing the balance of the environment, the use of plastic bottles can also be said to be harmful to your health.

Chemical content in plastic bottles

Have you ever seen a "BPA Free" label on a plastic bottle? Bisphenol A or commonly known as BPA is commonly found in solid plastic products, coatings on food cans or formula milk packaging, even the slippery parts of your shopping receipt (BPA serves to stabilize the ink printed on receipt paper). The purpose of using BPA is to harden plastic so that it can be molded, and this practice has been going on for more than 40 years.

In 2008, information began to emerge regarding the dangers of BPA to health. Without you knowing it, 90% of the human population may have BPA in their bodies. BPA can enter the body through food or drinks placed in containers containing BPA. In addition, air and dust can also transmit BPA into the body.

Research on the health effects of BPA has not been very clear. Most of the studies done are animal studies, not directly measuring the effects of BPA in humans. Although previously the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said BPA was safe in plastic products, since 2010 the FDA began to express concerns about the health effects that BPA might cause.

What are the negative health effects of BPA?

• Some researchers believe BPA can mimic the work of hormones in the body, thereby disrupting the actual function of the hormone. One of the hormones that can be imitated by BPA is estrogen. BPA can then inhibit or even increase the amount of the hormone estrogen in the body. Because the hormone estrogen plays a role in the development of hormone receptor positive breast cancer, BPA is then said to cause cancer, especially breast cancer.
• Based on several animal studies, BPA can cause disruption of growth and development of the brain and cognitive abilities of fetuses, infants and children. In a 2011 study, it was found that pregnant women who had high levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to give birth to girls who had symptoms of hyperactivity, nervousness or anxiety, and depression. It seems that the effects of BPA will be easier for infants and children to experience because their body systems are still unable to remove the substance from the body.

Why is reusing plastic bottles dangerous?

Not only the chemical content contained in them, just like other eating utensils, plastic bottles tend to be a source of bacteria. This is mainly due to repeated use that does not pay attention to the cleanliness of the bottle. You may feel that the bottle contains only water and you don't need to wash it because it's not dirty, but this can actually trigger bacterial growth in the bottle.

This bacterial contamination will get worse if the plastic bottle you use is a plastic bottle that comes from bottled drinking water, which type of bottle is not recommended to be used repeatedly. The more often it is used, the more likely it is that bacteria can breed, even increasing the risk of thinning the lining of the plastic bottle, allowing the lining of the bottle to be damaged and ultimately easier for bacteria to enter the bottle.

As quoted from the Huffington Post, Richard Wallace, M.D., from the University of Texas Health Center revealed that the neck of the bottle where it usually comes into contact with the mouth is the part that contains lots of bacteria. If left untreated, these bacteria can have an effect equivalent to food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, and even diarrhea.

If after this you are thinking about washing your plastic bottle with hot water so that all the bacteria contained in the plastic bottle die, then that is also not the right action. Depending on the type of plastic bottle used, usually washing plastic bottles is preferable to using warm water. But this only applies to refillable drinking bottles, not plastic bottles of bottled drinking water. Plastic bottled drinking water bottles are actually designed for single use only. Excessive use can physically destroy the bottle and heating it can increase the speed at which the components and chemical compounds "move" from the plastic to your drinking water. That's also why you shouldn't leave plastic bottles filled with drinking water in a place or room with high temperatures.