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Drinking Water Container Warning! The Unseen Effects

Article Summary: Drink bottled water? Did you know that, depending on the type of bottle, your drinking water container might be hazardous to your health? Find out what the hazard is and how to protect yourself by reading on.

Look in any refrigerator in this nation, and you are bound to find plastic drinking water containers. As a nation, we have come to think that a plastic drinking water container is the best and safest choice.

But is it, really? Recently, per a study conducted by the National Toxicology program, plastic drinking water containers were found to contain an element that could migrate into the water (or other liquid) and precipitate potential health hazards. The compound, Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of polycarbonate and other polymers used to make bottles for beverages.

BPA is often chosen for a drinking water container because it is strong, but not heavy, like glass. However, research has shown that individuals, who consume Bisphenol A, tend to have a greater risk of certain types of cancers. Additionally, BPA can potentially interfere with hormone levels.

Quite a few households use hot water to wash (by dishwasher or by hand) their bottled drinking water containers in order to reuse them. Leaching of BPA into the liquid actually increases with re-use.

Now, to be fair, the increased risk of developing health problems from consuming the substance comes from being exposed to high levels of the compound. The problem is that a drinking water container is not the only source of BPA contamination. It is also used to line canned goods.

A random testing conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found some level of the contaminant in the urine of every person tested. Occasional use of drinking water containers that contain it might be safe, but why take the risk?

The market for bottled water remains largely free of federal regulation. The is translates to the possibility that you may be ingesting hazardous toxins that have made it into the public water system through either artificial or natural means. Why jeopardize your health even more by using a plastic drinking water container?

In addition to having health consequences, regular use of bottled waters produces an environmental danger. While most plastic is recyclable, a consumer has to make the choice to simply not toss their drinking water containers into their regular garbage.

By far, the best choice for drinking water containers is glass. Not only do you eliminate any potential health risks by no chemical contaminants, you also help to save the environment. A glass drinking water container can be reused repeatedly without degrading the material.

As someone who consumes a lot of H2O (we should all be drinking at least eight glasses of it a day) and also tries to be environmentally conscious, doing my research and realizing the dangers of the bottles typically used as drinking water containers was eye opening. I had always assumed that the plastic drinking water container I carried around all day and constantly re-used was the best and safest way to consume my daily intake of water.

Now that I understand the potential dangers of the main compound used in those drinking water containers, I can take steps to reduce my exposure to a dangerous chemical by switching to a glass. Besides, from what I hear, the taste of glass is the best.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Rich Eng
Rich Eng has been involved in the healthcare industry for nearly 20 years and currently leads a high growth health services business for a Fortune 500 company. An avid practitioner of Chinese medicine & martial arts, Rich continuously pursues new methods to improve his mind, body and spirit. Check out his website at http://www.clean-filtered-water.com to learn more about the drinking water filters he recommends after a thorough analysis of the market.