People all around the world have false beliefs that bottled water is enriched with more vitamins or minerals. However, most of that are untrue because it is tap water that is being bottled and flavor additives that are being added to achieve the desired flavor. Worse than that, the bottles used can also be harmful because of the emission of the plastic when they come in contact with water.
To inform you more on this topic we created a small list of the labels and their meaning. This label is usually on the bottom of the bottle and can tell you whether the plastic is good or bad and if it can be reused or not.
Number 1
Number 1 or PET or PETE represents plastic that can only be used once. Reusing this plastic can expose people to EPA and prolonged use can cause hormone disbalance due to the high concentration of antimony in this plastic. There are even some researchs on whether these plastics are carcinogenic or not due to a possible leak of DEHA.
Number 2
Number 2 in a triangle found on a bottle usually represent the good plastic or so-called HDPE or HDP. This kind of plastic has lower emission compared to the other kinds of plastic.
Number 3
Number 3 or a label with V or PVC represents plastic that contains 2 or more chemical components that can cause hormone disbalance. However, PVC is one of the most frequently used plastics around the world.
Number 4
Number 4 or plastic labeled with LDPE contains no known chemical that can emit when in contact with water. However, this plastic is not as much used in bottle production than in plastic bags production.
Number 5
Number 5 or plastic labeled with PP is also a good type of plastic. They come as transparent or white. PP plastic is mostly used for making yogurt cups or syrup bottles.
Number 6
Number 6 or plastic labeled with PS should be avoided for use because it can emit styrene which is believed to be carcinogenic. However, this plastic is used in fast food packaging, foam packaging etc.
Number 7
Number 7 or plastic known as PC. This category is the worst because the plastic here is not labeled. Not labeled plastics are known for their emission of BPA a very harmful substance. However, this type of plastic is widely used in the production of food containers, infant bottles, sports drink bottles etc.
Bottom line, check your bottles, should they be labeled with 2, 4 or 5 they are less harmful in comparison to 1, 3, 6 or 7. Furthermore, bottles with number 1, 3 and 8 should not be reused and number 6 should be avoided for use at all costs.
Source: healthadore
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