The Problem With Plastic
Plastic bottles pose more problems than just taking up space in landfills. By Susan Hoffman
Many of us believe drinking bottled water is the healthy alternative to city tap water, but think again. Several recent headlines make us all think about the alleged benefits of bottled water. Consider the following recent headlines: “The Negative Effects of Using Plastic Drinking Bottles”; or “Bottled Water Poisons Your Body One Swallow at a Time”; and finally, “What’s the Problem with Plastic Bottles?”
Indeed, what is the problem with plastic bottles? There are a few things to consider in answering this question, but it appears bottled water is not only more expensive than tap water, but research shows bottled water is not a purer alternative to tap water, at least in the United States. In many situations and depending where you reside, the tap water may contain dangerous contaminants. So, why is it that bottled water is not safer is these cases? It is because about 40% of bottled water is nothing but bottled and branded tap water; and you probably paid $1.25 for it, contaminants and all!
Then there are issues with energy consumption and needless waste. The Sun Times reported that “it takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demand of U.S. water bottle manufacturing. This amount of oil far exceeds the amount needed to power 100,000 for a year, which does not include fossil fuel and emissions costs of greenhouse gases needed to transport the final product to market.”
Dr. Michael Warhurst noted that, "Bottled water companies are wasting resources and exacerbating climate change. Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, and transporting water adds to that.” (Independent, 02/12/06).
Then, there is the issue of waste management. This is a worldwide problem as landfills are growing to enormous sizes. Many of us are simply throwing our bottles in the trash and not recycling. When our landfills are full, many degraded plastic particles end up in the ocean and form a 15,000,000 square mile zone of chemical debris and pelagic plastic known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
On average, around sixty-seven million water bottles are thrown away each day!
But, over-filling landfills and bottles showing up in the ocean are not the only problem. Many people prefer bottled water because it is part of their fitness regime. But, the next time you pick up a plastic water bottle to bring to the gym, think again. While most of us go to the gym to stay fit and to maintain a healthy weight, the plastic in water bottles has been shown to be partially responsible for our country’s obesity epidemic.
But there are even more health dangers of plastic to think about. Dr. Mercola, on his website www.articles.mercola.com, provides a list of chemicals we are all exposed to when choosing bottled water:
*Bisphenol A or BPA is an estrogen-mimicking chemical that is possibly linked to serious health problems such as learning and behavioral problems, altered immune system function, early puberty in girls and fertility problems, decreased sperm count, prostate and breast cancer, and diabetes and obesity.
*Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to reduced sperm counts, testicular atrophy, and liver cancer.
*Dioxin is a toxin released into bottled water when it is exposed to the sun which accelerates leaching of the plastic chemicals such as arsenic, aluminum, disinfection byproducts, and finally prescription drugs.
Plastic bottles pose problems for humans, the environment and the animals on our planet. Life in the ocean is impacted daily from debris caused by humans. The tops of plastic bottles are not recyclable and according to the website www.onegreenplanet.org many animal species mistake such objects for food. “One albatross that was recently found dead on a Hawaiian island had a stomach full of 119 bottle caps.”
There are many things you can do to stop being part of the problem while also taking your own health in hand. These actions include: drinking water from glasses; purchasing a water filter pitcher for your desk; purchasing a BPA-free reusable bottle for life on the go; and finally recycling all of the waste that you generate. Do it for your health and also do it for the health of the planet.
