The Dangers of Drinking from Plastic Water Bottles
Key Takeaways
Plastic water bottle production pollutes the air, and discarded bottles litter landfills and oceans, harming marine life.
Plastic degrades into tiny particles that we ingest, potentially affecting our immune system, fertility, and brain development.
BPA and phthalates in plastic can seep into water, potentially impacting hormones and increasing cancer risk.
Opt for reusable metal or glass bottles to avoid microplastics and chemical leaching.
Invest in a water filter for your faucet or refrigerator for safe tap water.
Are Plastic Water Bottles Safe?
According to studies, in the next 10 seconds, 10,000 people will open a plastic water bottle. While you’re reading this, hundreds of thousands of people will open plastic water bottles.
In the United States, the average person drinks around 156 plastic bottles of water each year, which translates to 500 billion plastic water bottles every 12 months. Before we delve into the dangers of plastic water bottles, let’s take an even deeper dive into the numbers, which are incredibly troubling.
An Overuse of Plastic
As of 2023, there were roughly 66 times as many plastic bottles on the planet as there were humans. Every year, Americans throw away 35 billion empty plastic water bottles, while only 12% of those bottles are recycled.
Even if you think that you're being vigilant about putting your plastic bottles in the recycling bin, other studies indicate that only 50% of the plastic bottles put in a designated recycling bin actually get recycled. Every week, 40,000 18-wheelers delivered bottled water to stores in the United States.
This overuse of plastic, especially for water bottles, paints a dangerous picture for the environment and for humans.
Undoubtedly, you’ve read and heard reports about the dangers of plastic water bottles, but you may be like the millions of people who are still using the most popular vessel for water. Before you open your next bottle, just like 10,000 people did in the last 10 seconds, consider some of these dangers.
Dangers to the Environment
You don’t have to “go green” to realize that as humans who live on this planet, we should care about its condition. With so many plastic water bottles being thrown into landfills, and many of them finding their way into the oceans, there are plenty of environmental factors that directly impact your health.
The manufacturing process for plastic water bottles involves countless chemicals being released into the air, lowering air quality and creating problems that impact the entire ecosystem.
Some studies indicate that the bottling process for water releases 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year. When you combine that amount of carbon dioxide with other manufacturing processes and the fact that humans exhale this gas, it’s easy to see that Earth’s air quality is at risk.
However, the dangers of plastic water bottles go beyond the air, and eventually, go beyond just harming the environment. Not only do the plastics that come from water bottles end up in landfills, but countless bottles end up in the ocean where they become a threat to marine life.
If you’re a seafood lover, this is especially troubling. It is estimated that people who regularly consume seafood will eat around 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic each year.
While you may not mind drinking water from a plastic bottle, you probably don’t want to ingest the plastic itself. Studies conducted among commercial fishermen in the United Kingdom indicate that roughly 33% of the fish that they catch have some plastic in them.
While you cannot completely eliminate the use of plastic water bottles on your own, you can take small steps to help protect the environment and marine life.
If everyone who consumes water from plastic bottles simply cuts down their usage by 50%, there would be a significant decrease in pollution.
Now that we’ve discussed environmental dangers, let’s take a look at how plastic water bottles can be harmful to humans.
Plastic Contains Harmful Chemicals
Plastic contains harmful chemicals that are part of the manufacturing process. Specifically, BPA and phthalates can seep into drinks stored in plastic bottles, especially those that are exposed to high temperatures.
Even if you’re prompt about getting your cases of water inside, they spend a lot of time in a warehouse and then are transported in the back of a large truck. Since water is not perishable, it’s not usually shipped in a refrigerated truck, which means it’s subject to high temperatures.
There have been countless research studies conducted on the chemicals in plastic water bottles, and some of that research indicates that those chemicals can have a harmful effect on hormones, fertility, and the immune system.
There is also some research out there that claims the chemicals found in some plastics have the potential to cause cancer.
Risks for Brain Development
The impact of the chemicals on brain health is a relatively new area of concern, but researchers have been focusing on it heavily.
Ultimately, there’s no denying that microplastics are infiltrating our diets. Most of the studies conducted at this point focus on the impact of these microplastics on the brains of children, as their brains are still developing.
As of now, no conclusive research has been published that indicates that plastic water bottles harm brain health in adults.
However, there is no reason to think that cutting down on the consumption of these microplastics has any sort of negative effects.
Other Problems With Microplastics
While the information about microplastics and brain formation is still being uncovered, there are some undeniable truths about the microscopic pieces of plastic that you unintentionally consume when you drink from a plastic water bottle.
There are plenty of studies that have been peer-reviewed that found that microplastics have a negative impact on the body’s immune system. Also, microplastics appear to be related to increased inflammation in the human body.
What Can You Do?
With hundreds of billions of plastic water bottles being purchased every year, you may feel as though you’re stuck in a cycle that there’s no way out of. That’s just not the case.
No, you cannot completely protect the planet from the effects of plastic on your own. However, you can take some steps to protect yourself.
One of the most important things to remember is that you should not refill plastic water bottles.
Unfortunately, some people think that drinking out of a water bottle and then reusing it negates the impact on the environment, but what they’re actually doing is putting themselves in harm’s way.
Not only do those people continue to expose themselves to microplastics, BPE, and other chemicals, but those plastic bottles can also provide a home for bacterial growth.
Over time, plastic bottles can develop cracks and scratches, which provides moisture with a place to hide. Since bacterial growth requires a warm, damp area, reused plastic water bottles are a perfect home.
Also, you can get on board with the newest fad of metal, reusable cups. There are plenty of brands on the market, meaning that you can certainly find something that fits in your budget.
If you’re drinking water at home, consider using a glass. There are plenty of filtration options that you can install on your kitchen faucet that make tap water taste better and safer for human consumption.
If you have a water dispenser on your refrigerator, it already has filters in place. Drinking water from a glass helps protect you from the presence of microplastics and the chemicals that can bleed into the water while it’s in the bottle.
Ultimately, the potential cons of drinking of plastic water bottles outweigh the minimal benefits. Even if you’re not environmentally focused, giving up plastic water bottles is a great way to improve your health.