It is the right idea to use coke and water plastic bottles repeatedly. It is convenient and practical. However, a number of studies do not recommend doing this. There are two significant reasons why. Once you know them, you will not want to re-fill plastic bottles.
Reason #1: Bisphenol A
Great and terrible. This chemical is recognized as potentially hazardous to health in a number of countries, but it is still used in the plastic manufacturing process. In particular, for bottled water. Yet there is always some obstacle: it has been proved that bisphenol is able to penetrate into the water when heated. Perhaps the amount is “insignificant”, but this can suffice to trigger potential trouble. In particular, the hormonal imbalance or even an increased risk of breast cancer.
Reason #2. Bacteria
The second reason doesn’t sound as fatal, but it isn’t particularly pleasant. Even if you carefully wash the container before you pour a new portion of water, the bacteria are remarkably tenacious. During the study, the results of which were published in the Treadmill Reviews scientific journal, the scientists tested reusable bottles of athletes. After a week of daily use (and, of course, washing them) there were 900,000 times more bacteria settled under the lid and on the neck of the bottle than on the brand new plastic. 60% of them can provoke diseases. For comparison, even the seats in a public toilet display less impressive results.
What should be done? In an ideal world, you need to send a plastic bottle to a recycling container immediately after you have emptied it. In the real world of economy, you should invest in reusable plastic jars marked “without BPA” (bisphenol A) or glass/ceramics. The latter does not look so appetizing for bacteria. Also, it’s much better for the environment.
