August 21, 2019

Heat And Plastic Bottles

Listen Later

2 minutes

In the middle of July, Americans along the East Coast and in the

Midwest suffered through a massive heat wave that saw actual temperatures

soaring and so-called feels-like temperatures go much higher. The punishing heat had many of us reaching

for those plastic water bottles all day long as we tried to keep hydrated.

Studies have shown that those single-use plastic bottles do not handle

the heat very well. Most plastic items

release tiny amounts of chemicals into the beverages or food that they contain.

But the hotter it gets, the more the

substances in plastic can move into food or drinking water. As temperature and time increase, the

chemical bonds in plastics increasingly break down and chemicals are more

likely to leach.

A study at Arizona State University in 2008 looked at how heat sped up

the release of the element antimony in bottles made of the common plastic

PET. Antimony is used to manufacture the

plastic and can be toxic in high doses.

At mild temperatures, very little antimony is released. But PET and other plastics can leach a

variety of chemicals when exposed to higher temperatures.

According to the FDA, the amounts of chemicals released by plastics

are too miniscule to cause health problems.

However, scientists are still looking at the long-term effects of using

so much plastic. The question is whether

all those small doses can eventually add up to something not so harmless. Given that we don’t really know the

cumulative effect of being surrounded by plastics in the goods we buy as well

as the presence of microplastics in our water, it seems like a good idea to try

to limit our exposure when alternatives are available.

**********

Web Links

Exposed to extreme heat, plastic bottles may ultimately become unsafe

Photo, posted June 7, 2013, courtesy of Tim Stahmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more

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Earth Wise

By Randy Simon

4.7

1515 ratings

August 21, 2019

Heat And Plastic Bottles

Listen Later

2 minutes

In the middle of July, Americans along the East Coast and in the

Midwest suffered through a massive heat wave that saw actual temperatures

soaring and so-called feels-like temperatures go much higher. The punishing heat had many of us reaching

for those plastic water bottles all day long as we tried to keep hydrated.

Studies have shown that those single-use plastic bottles do not handle

the heat very well. Most plastic items

release tiny amounts of chemicals into the beverages or food that they contain.

But the hotter it gets, the more the

substances in plastic can move into food or drinking water. As temperature and time increase, the

chemical bonds in plastics increasingly break down and chemicals are more

likely to leach.

A study at Arizona State University in 2008 looked at how heat sped up

the release of the element antimony in bottles made of the common plastic

PET. Antimony is used to manufacture the

plastic and can be toxic in high doses.

At mild temperatures, very little antimony is released. But PET and other plastics can leach a

variety of chemicals when exposed to higher temperatures.

According to the FDA, the amounts of chemicals released by plastics

are too miniscule to cause health problems.

However, scientists are still looking at the long-term effects of using

so much plastic. The question is whether

all those small doses can eventually add up to something not so harmless. Given that we don’t really know the

cumulative effect of being surrounded by plastics in the goods we buy as well

as the presence of microplastics in our water, it seems like a good idea to try

to limit our exposure when alternatives are available.

**********

Web Links

Exposed to extreme heat, plastic bottles may ultimately become unsafe

Photo, posted June 7, 2013, courtesy of Tim Stahmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more