Drinking bottled water left in the sun can make you feel unwell and cause health problems including nausea and stomach aches due to harmful chemicals from the plastic
Health experts have issued a warning to anyone drinking out of a plastic water bottle amid fears of the “hidden risks.”
With recent warm temperatures in September, many of us have been staying hydrated with water as it is cheap and healthy compared to tea, coffee, and sugary drinks. We should also be aiming to drink at least six to eight cups of water a day – especially when temperatures are warm, according to health officials.
However, drinking bottled water that has been left in the sun could be doing us more harm than good. “Do not drink bottled water that has been left in the sun or a hot environment, like a car,” according to Sarah Lawson, a food safety expert from Storage Box Shop. Sarah added: “The heat can cause harmful chemicals to leach from the plastic into the water.”
The expert revealed that when bottled water heats up, chemicals from the plastic can get into the water. These include BPA and phthalates which can be harmful if consumed. “As a general rule, yes, heat helps break down chemical bonds in plastics like plastic bottles, and those chemicals can migrate into beverages they contain,” said Julia Taylor, a scientist who researched plastic at the University of Missouri.
In addition, drinking water with these chemicals can make you feel unwell and cause health problems including nausea or stomach aches. You could develop headaches dizziness or feeling lightheaded after drinking the bottled warm water.
“The hotter it gets, the more the stuff in plastic can move into food or drinking water,” says Rolf Halden, director of the Centre for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. “If you drink water from one PET bottle, will that hurt your health? Probably not,” he says. “But if you go through 20 bottles a day, then the question of safety is an entirely different one.” He reccommends a metal water bottle instead of a reusable plastic one when trying to stay hydrated on the go.
How to avoid drinking warm water from a bottle
There are a few things you can do to make sure you don’t drink warm water from a bottle.
- Keep It Cool: Always store your bottled water in a cool place. Avoid leaving it in direct sunlight.
- Use a metal water bottle instead of a resuable plastic bottle
- Use a Cooler: If you’re on the go, keep your bottled water in a cooler with ice packs
