Danger in Reusing Water Bottles

by Cian Tue Aug 03, 2004 14:51

Check your story before posting....this has been blown all out of proportion. The only valid threat is that of bacteria build up.

by David Fri Jun 04, 2004 13:13

doesn't sound too healthy.

by whit Fri Jun 04, 2004 04:57

i am doing a project on this for school, and just to let you know the idaho under grad student was on crack, DHEA does not leach out in any large quantities from the PET that plastic water bottles are made from, and even if it did you would need to consume about a hamberger size of the raw chemical for it to possibly cause any affect on you. also, the FDA does not list DHEA as a carcinogous chemical. whoops. the bacteria part is correct though, fecal coliforms can form and its just down right disgusting. but you're pretty much ok to reuse for a week. i just made 17 ppl use the same waterbottle for 7 days in my esperiment and no one got sick, so that says something.

by gregarious gunman Tue Sep 09, 2003 15:42

Maybe it is coated with depleted uranium to irradiate the water ....

by Orla Tue Sep 09, 2003 14:12 nichomhrai at eircom dot net

Thanks for your reply.


Re: if you are in that health sit of not being able to go for awhile without drinking.Get yourself checked for diabeties,it is supposedly one of the signs.


Yes you are right. I was checked out for Diabetes Mellitus (sugar diabetes) a few years ago and don't have that, but I am currently being checked out for diabetes insipidous (or to be more exact a milder form of this, partial diabestes insipidous). On that subject, I am slightly annoyed with the doctor as I have been complaining about extreme thirst/frequent urination for 5 years and it was only after finding out about this form of diabetes and going in myself to ask to get tested for it that he initiated this. Admitedly I have another health problem which complicates matters, but still, just shows people need to find things out themselves.



RE: Those are more distillers than filters.Be exellent things if you were in a 3rd world country where the water is really dodgey.What I think is more along a under sink filter that filters out the crud & heavy metals that is putinto our drinking water,flouride[used formerly as rat poision] being one of them.The other chemicals that give water a bad taste IE Chlorine are taken out by a good heavy metal undersink filter.Read the manual,easy enough to install.

I will check that out in hard ware stores etc.

Re: Not blowing Uncle Sams trumpet on evil war equipment.but the best water bottle is made for the US army.It is easily sterilised,desinged to take abuse,and keeps water relatively cool.Buy a "new" surplus or seconds water bottle[slight production fault,thussly rejected from DOD contract].Reason the US forces re issue the water bottle every six months for hygine reasons.{never told why].

Interesting.

by Lone gunman Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:31

Orla,
if you are in that health sit of not being able to go for awhile without drinking.Get yourself checked for diabeties,it is supposedly one of the signs.
Those are more distillers than filters.Be exellent things if you were in a 3rd world country where the water is really dodgey.What I think is more along a under sink filter that filters out the crud & heavy metals that is putinto our drinking water,flouride[used formerly as rat poision] being one of them.The other chemicals that give water a bad taste IE Chlorine are taken out by a good heavy metal undersink filter.Read the manual,easy enough to install.

Not blowing Uncle Sams trumpet on evil war equipment.but the best water bottle is made for the US army.It is easily sterilised,desinged to take abuse,and keeps water relatively cool.Buy a "new" surplus or seconds water bottle[slight production fault,thussly rejected from DOD contract].Reason the US forces re issue the water bottle every six months for hygine reasons.{never told why].
BTW the latex gloves and syringes [ use or reuse] was meant in a more hygenic situation. Druggies use and reuse syringes,even though they know it is dangerous.No choice,but we have a choice in reusing what we drink from.

by Orla Tue Sep 09, 2003 02:35 nichomhrai at eircom dot net

Re: Orla would you reuse? A syringe[well unless you REALLY had to]

I don't use syringes so no. And that is a bit different anyway as there would be very obvious health risks in doing that. Also it would be slightly blunted from the first use so would hurt a bit more.

RE: disposeable latex gloves,or a myrid such items.?

I have reused gloves when I was painting and doing other activities where as I felt it was wasteful to throw them out unless they were really useless.


RE: It comes down to basic hygiene,and I suppose common sense[the most uncommon of sense]

But the problem is, it is not common knowledge so therefore common sense. I don't think most people would know this about water bottles. I never heard of such a thing.

Re: as I suppose no one in their right minds in the water busisness assumed that people would reuse their containers.

How many of use are in the water business?



Re: Also maybe this water is irradiated as well to purify it?

Interesting question


Re: Either way ,you are better off buying a proper replaceable filter cartridge system and plumbing it into your normal tap water line.

Do you mean something like this (http://www.wholistichealthdirect.co.uk/ecom/product.php3?prodid=153) only for taps? They have water filters here http://www.wholistichealthdirect.co.uk/ecom/product.php3?prodid=212 but there is no picture yet so I don't quite know what they are talking about. Where would you get one of the filters you are taking about? Are they easy to use? The water in my flat is terrible so I have to use something, but as you say the BRITTA filters are expensive (and I also feel badly at using so much plastic). I don't make a habit of buying water, just occasionally when I go out and need to get a drink (I have a health problem and am abnormally thirsty so cannot go very long without a drink). Anyway sometimes I reuse these bottles so that I won't have to buy water the next time I go out. I think I will invest in a good flask.

by come on Tue Sep 09, 2003 00:30

Of course it would occur to people to refill water bottles instead of just throwing them away.
I was looking today. i could not see any warnings on coca cola bottles, lucozade bottles, kerry water bottles, club orange bottles...... i only saw one "do not refill" instruction on a volvic bottle (as mentioned above)

If it is dangerous to sell liquids in poisenous containors then it is a massive scandal that should make a lot of people very angry

by Lone Gunman Mon Sep 08, 2003 18:24

A syringe[well unless you REALLY had to],disposeable latex gloves,or a myrid such items.?It comes down to basic hygiene,and I suppose common sense[the most uncommon of sense] as I suppose no one in their right minds in the water busisness assumed that people would reuse their containers.
Also maybe this water is irradiated as well to purify it?.I dont know,except that it is a very perishable expensive product with a short shelf life .Also it tastes FOUL from the plastic.As well as that water should be stored in dark containers to stop bacteria growth.But that would be unpleasent to sell to people from a marketing perspective.Hence the possibility that this stuff is chemically/radation treated. Either way ,you are better off buying a proper replaceable filter cartridge system and plumbing it into your normal tap water line.Not too big a job. dont buy Brittas jug filters ,they are expensive crap.

by Orla Mon Sep 08, 2003 15:28

Re:That should have been obvious to ANYONE that it is dangerous to use one use items


Why, who would think that a bottle was dangerous? It is not exactly written on them with bold letters, 'You could poison yourself if you reuse this container'. I did check though on a volvic bottle that I have and it has written in very small print 'Do not refill', but it does not give any indication as to why.

RE: Is it possible That this story is just an attempt by soft drinks companies to get people to keep buying new bottles full of their overpriced produce?

Possibly, but I think it would turn most people off plastics altogether, as what is the guarantee that they are safe at all? There is a lot of corruption in medicine so I think it is important to be sceptical about medical research, but this is usually the sort of story that companies would try to cover up! The site I got the story off is fine, but I don't have any backround information on the source. I would rather be safe than sorry though and will definitely not reuse these bottles.

Iosaf, thanks for the link. Glad to make your day!
Orla

by A psychiatrist Mon Sep 08, 2003 14:10

Ahh, the purity of bodily fluids, an interesting clinical sign of imminent paranoid schizophrenia. Ever seen Dr. Strangelove, Lonely Loonie? there was this army man there too!

by iosaf Mon Sep 08, 2003 13:17

It means:
recycled plastic can be recycled and recycled but has it's limits.
it means:
glass is better.
it means:
wash your hands before you eat.
it means:
wash your hands after you ......P
it means:
Rogue has finally made it to ireland!!!!
yippeee.

check out their indymedia site. I've been waiting for this opportunity for years. And no it isn't on your side bar.

thanks Orla! %-)

by david Mon Sep 08, 2003 13:06

That this story is just an attempt by soft drinks companies to get people to keep buying new bottles full of their overpriced produce?

by Lone Gunman Mon Sep 08, 2003 12:20

That should have been obvious to ANYONE that it is dangerous to use one use items .Not to mind that the fact that the contents are proably contaminated already,because they have been sitting on a shelf or warehouse for so long that they are near their sell by date.
It is one thing I agree with the Eco nuts is that a pirority on this planet is clean water.

by >>>>>Seáinín Mon Sep 08, 2003 01:38

Looks like I picked the wrong day to give up smoking.