Warning about harmful substances: Experts publish new study on plastic bottles

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Chemical compounds are released in our plastic bottles as a result of exposure to sunlight; at least, that’s what a new study suggests. However, it also indicates that although the health risk of this phenomenon is unknown, it may be minimal.

We’ve all been there, especially during the warmer months: You’ve left your water bottle in the car. It has heated up in the sun, but when you return from the beach, a sip of warm water is better than being dehydrated by the salt of the seawater. This sip is certainly not harmful in the strict sense, but it is better to know exactly what you are ingesting: Toxic substances that are released into the water by the effect of the sun’s rays on the bottle’s plastic.

For a similar reason, scientists have also recently warned against reusing plastic bottles too often. Pregnant women should also avoid drinking from plastic bottles for a very specific reason.

Hydrocarbons get into the water
As a reminder, a plastic bottle already contains microplastics. Other studies have highlighted the risks of releasing chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor. This time, a study from Jinan University in China, published in the journal Eco-Environment & Health, has shown that consumers can potentially ingest and inhale a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that evaporate easily and some of which can be toxic. After exposing six different types of plastic water bottles from various countries, from Canada to Italy to Japan, to UV-A rays and sunlight, the scientists discovered, among other things, a potentially carcinogenic hydrocarbon: n-hexadecane.

Low direct health risks

The amount of VOCs sunlight releases on the plastic bottle is very low. However, these research results confirm that it would be wrong to consider bottled water as “pure” and free of contaminants, unlike tap water. “Our results provide clear evidence that when exposed to the sun, plastic bottles can release toxic compounds that pose a health risk. “Consumers should be aware of these risks, especially in environments where bottled water is exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time,” Dr. Huase Ou, lead author of the study, said in a press release.

As with the effects of eternal pollutants and microplastics, the effects on human health have not yet been directly proven. However, experts point to the potential effects of prolonged exposure and the cumulative health risks of these products. “Given the average weight of a container (approx. 20 g), the amount of volatile VOCs released from a single container was only a few nanograms. Consequently, the consumption of bottled water poses a minimal risk to human health,” the authors write. However, the health consequences of the omnipresence of plastic and pollutants in our everyday lives that penetrate our organs are very difficult to assess anyway.