Plastics in bottled water - should we be concerned?

[55palfers]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-4338...

I read another report about plastics in tap-water too. So if that is the case plastics will be in a lot of processed foods and drinks as well.

Totally benign? Cumulative effects? Nobody really knows for sure?

[grumbledoak]

That will be a QI-style "Nobody Knows", I'm sure.

But with the all the eco-moaning about plastics in the ocean meeting a wave of indifference among the public, this might also serve as a lever to dissuade people from buying plastic bottles of water. Purely coincidental it being reported now, of course.

[motco]

It certainly makes a nonsense of the healthy image of bottled water. Mind you, the benzene in Perrier water a few years ago only damaged that brand, but the others flourished. In my view, and I know many will disagree, it's a colossal con-trick selling water in that way when the public supply is perfectly safe.

Edited by motco on Thursday 15th March 18:10

[grumbledoak]

The public supply might be legally classed as safe, but it a crystal mountain stream it is not.

[motco]

grumbledoak said:

The public supply might be legally classed as safe, but it a crystal mountain stream it is not.

Nor is all bottled water; especially the stuff with a plastic inclusion or a carcinogen in the case of benzene. Maybe I'm fortunate but the Thames Water product here in the Chilterns is pretty damned good straight from the tap. It has to be filtered for tea making but that's the natural mineral content making that necessary, not any pollution. It's hard from the chalk hills.

[Greys0n]

not a surprise I thought it's a well known fact

[motco]

What concerns me more than particles is the possibility of compounds leaching out of the materials from which pipes and containers are made. Lead being an historic case in point, and bisphenol 'A' currently. Bottled water can be in extended agitated contact at elevated temperatures whilst in transit. At least tap water's contact with pipe materials is fleeting comparatively, and the incessant passage of water will rapidly scour the more accessible compounds from the pipe bores.

In Dickensian times they brewed low beer of <1% alcohol in order to avoid water borne ailments. Sounds good to me and I assume that home-brew of 4% is more than four times safer!