Bottled water warning: Hidden toxins you need to know about
Self-service Snack and drink vending machine.
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Experts have recently warned again about toxic substances lurking in plastic bottles. This isn’t the first time scientists have tried to warn the public.
According to researchers, we might want to think twice before cracking open our next plastic water bottle, expensive or not. Another bombshell new study has exposed shocking truths about what’s really floating in that so-called ‘clean’ water – and it’s not pretty. Read on to find out more.
Spain’s bottled water obsession and what Weill Cornell Medical College found
The thirst for bottled water is growing faster than ever in Spain, with sales rising by 2.5% year on year. By the end of 2024, Spaniards had guzzled down a staggering 5.3 billion litres of H20. And in some regions, like the Canary Islands, the Balearics, Barcelona, and Valencia, where the taste of the tap water is – let’s say – more on the Bristolian side, (for those who’ve had the misfortune of trying it), people seem convinced that their tap water isn’t up to scratch. But are they paying for purity, or just a toxic cocktail wrapped in plastic?
A shocking new study published in BMJ Global Health by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and New York has revealed that between 10% and a staggering 78% of bottled water worldwide contains dangerous substances. The main culprits? Microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA) – nasty chemicals that seep straight out of the bottle itself.
And it gets worse. These chemicals don’t just sit there; they can break down and mix with the water over time, particularly when exposed to heat or stored for long periods. That means every time you leave a bottle in the sun, you could be supercharging your dose of nasty chemicals.
Bottled or tap – which is worse?
To be fair, tap water isn’t always a saint either. Pathogens like pseudomonas, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, and even legionella have been found in some water supplies. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, waterborne illnesses are responsible for 120,000 hospitalisations and 7,000 deaths every year in the US alone. Some studies have found antidepressants and even traces of illegal drugs in some cases.
But before you start stockpiling bottled water, the scientists insist that from an environmental and health perspective, tap water is still the better bet. They argue that our increasing addiction to bottled water is causing massive health, economic, and ecological damage – and it’s time to rethink our choices. So, basically, tap water is the lesser of two evils.
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