Whether it’s a trip to the gym or a thirst quenching beverage on a warm day, bottled water is easily accessible, and an extremely popular refreshment.
Photo courtesy of Nexeus Fatale
And the fact that bottled water is the fastest growing drinks industry in the world, with yearly sales topping over £2 billion, only re-enforces this.
Thousands of people choose to shun tap water and buy it bottled on a daily basis. A healthier alternative to carbonated sugar drinks in a relatively health conscious world, it is easy to see why the industry is flourishing.
However, the health benefits that appear on the surface may not tell the whole story; the plastic packaging that holds its contents poses a threat to your health and the environment.
On average the carbon footprint of a glass of tap water is 0.3g of carbon dioxide, compared with about 175g for bottled water.
It has long been established that plastic is bad for the environment because it is non biodegradable; taking hundreds of years to break down. When burnt, it releases toxic fumes into the air which scientists directly link to global warming.
Although the case for using plastic bottles isn’t particularly strong, there are some advantages. Recycling plastic is a great way to re-use it without harming the environment.
There are a huge variety of products plastic bottles can be transformed into, including toys, car parts and clothing. Most notably, the Brazilian World Cup team are ‘going green’ and wearing shirts made from recycled plastic.
Unfortunately, the correlation between bottled water sales and recycling rates is not a positive one. It is estimated that less than a quarter of plastic water bottles are recycled and most of the others are dumped in landfill sites, taking an average of 450 years to degrade.
Water bottles are mostly made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common plastics around, making recycling easier to do. With constant press coverage of global warming and encouragement from the government to visit recycling centres, it seems like an obvious choice to make.
In a bid to combat the threat plastic poses on the environment, British water company Belu is trying to minimise its carbon footprint. Claiming to be the most ethically friendly water company in the country, they have developed a low-carbon plastic bottle.
In 2006, they released ‘bio bottles’ made completely from the renewable material corn, creating fewer air
pollutants than petroleum-based plastic that is usually used. They have since become the world’s first carbon neutral bottled water.
BPA health concerns
Further health concerns surrounding plastic bottles focus on the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA), used in the plastic production process. In 2008, Canada officially declared BPA to be toxic and became the first country to ban its use in any products, particularly plastic baby feeding bottles, with researchers claiming a link to many diseases.
BPA is known as an ‘endocrine disruptor’, due to its potential to interact with the hormone system. There are particular concerns surrounding the reproductive organs, but no conclusive evidence has yet linked exposure to the chemical and harmful effects on reproductive health.
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School and the University of Exeter have recently published a study claiming they have confirmed earlier work which links BPA exposure to cardiovascular disease. Last year they produced data showing a relationship between urinary BPA levels and increased evidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver disease.
However, scientists have argued that the information is limited as only a few participants claimed to have medical problems, without confirmed diagnoses. BPA is still used in the production of many plastics and authorised for low level contact exposure in Europe, the US and Japan.
Improved production
Some people feel that the concerns surrounding BPA are valid, and attempts have been made to alter the production of water bottles in the UK.
‘One green bottle’ is a UK-based online site which promotes the safety of drinking water. The company was created in order to find a drinking bottle that kept water safe, clean and pure; concerned about chemicals from plastic making their way into the water, and also the effect disposing of plastic has on the environment.
Heather Nicholson, founder of the company, ‘One green bottle’ says: “The effects of BPA on the body are hotly debated but have been strongly linked to a whole host of health issues including cancers, autism, genetic damage, obesity, growth defects, hyperactivity, diabetes and heart disease.
“We know that BPA leaches into water from plastic bottles and is absorbed by the body, but scientists cannot definitively confirm the harm the chemical is doing,” she adds.
Despite health claims uncertain in their accuracy, the company decided to find an alternative method of drinking water bottles that would mean health implications would be nil.
Their BPA-free water bottles are made from stainless steel in order to insure public health and safety. “Our stainless steel bottles are BPA free, toxin free and so no health risks. Stainless steel is food hygiene perfect, a very inert material,” Heather explains.
The use of stainless steel prevents toxins leaching into the water from the bottle and therefore reduces the risk of contamination or health problems once the water is ingested.
Heather adds that there are other benefits to using alternative materials, and encourages people to invest in them.
“Using a reusable bottle reduces the amount of plastic in the environment, saves money on buying water and gives a massive taste improvement.”
