Friday, December 26, 2025
ADVT 
Health

Reusing Plastic Bottles Could Do You More Harm Than Good

Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Jun, 2017 12:01 PM
    Refilling those plastic bottles again and again could actually be harmful to your health, as per a new research.
     
     
    That's because the plastic bottle you're constantly replenishing isn't made to be re-filled - meaning it could have the potential to leach chemicals and harbour harmful bacteria.
     
     
    In a study conducted by Treadmill Reviews, researchers lab-tested water bottles after each had been used by an athlete for a week and found that the highest number of bacteria reached over 900,000 colony forming units per square cm on average.
     
     
    Worryingly, that's more bacteria than the average toilet seat. It also found that 60 per cent of the germs they found on the water bottles were able to people sick.
     
     
    Although it is important to drink plenty of water, especially during the hot summer months, you may want to think twice next time you reach for that reusable bottle, if you want to avoid germs and getting sick.
     
     
    It's also a great idea to buy BPA-free plastic bottles where possible or invest in a refillable one made out of glass or stainless steel. Because there have been concerns about Bisphenol A (BPA) - a controversial chemical, which is used in the manufacture of plastics and is thought to interfere with sex hormones.
     
     
    "Certain chemicals found in plastic bottles can have effects on every system in our bodies,' Dr Marilyn Glenville warned Good Housekeeping.
     
     
     
     
    "They can affect ovulation, and increase our risk of hormonally driven problems like PCOS, endometriosis and breast cancer, among other things."
     
     
    It's a sentiment shared by the NHS too, which has confirmed BPA has the potential to migrate into beverages. However, they have suggested that more research is required into the affects of the chemical on humans.
     
     
    It said: "The science is not yet completely clear on how BPA may affect humans. BPA may mimic hormones and interfere with the endocrine system of glands, which release hormones around the body.
     
     
    "Those calling for a ban suggest that it may be a factor in a rising numbers of human illnesses, such as breast cancer, heart disease and genital birth defects."
     
     
    But aside from this, there is another potentially worrying side effect of topping up your water bottle - bacteria.
     
     
    So what can you do to avoid becoming ill?
     
     
    It's simple really - don't re-use disposable bottles. Drink from them once and then recycle.
     
    Previous research has also shown that pregnant women exposed to BPA in high doses can potentially lead to low birth weight (LBW) in newborn children.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Energy drinks consumption linked to smoking

    Energy drinks consumption linked to smoking
    Weekly consumption of sports drinks and energy drinks among teens is linked to higher consumption of other sugar-sweetened beverages, cigarette smoking, and screen media use, said a study.

    Energy drinks consumption linked to smoking

    Can meditation empower us to regulate immune system?

    Can meditation empower us to regulate immune system?
    The power of meditation may be much more than what is generally thought as researchers have now found that with behavioural training like breathing exercises people can learn to modulate their immune system.

    Can meditation empower us to regulate immune system?

    Mealtime TV viewing during pregnancy may turn kids obese

    Mealtime TV viewing during pregnancy may turn kids obese
    If you do not want your kids to grow up obese, stay away from viewing television during mealtime even before they are born, a study suggested.

    Mealtime TV viewing during pregnancy may turn kids obese

    Young blood holds key for reversing ageing: Studies

    Young blood holds key for reversing ageing: Studies
    In what could be termed as a game changer for the scientific community, three separate teams of researchers have discovered how the ageing process can be reversed one day in humans - by infusing young blood.

    Young blood holds key for reversing ageing: Studies

    Soon, a method to predict volcanic eruption

    Soon, a method to predict volcanic eruption
    Preventing disasters from volcanic eruption could soon be more effective as scientists have now come closer to developing a method to predicting volcanic eruption behaviour.

    Soon, a method to predict volcanic eruption

    Brain cells tell you to either have sex or go to war!

    Brain cells tell you to either have sex or go to war!
    Secret to stopping a war could lie in following a basic instinct - having sex - as scientists have for the first time discovered that the brain cells mediating attack behaviour and sexual desires are "intimately associated” and “deeply intertwined".

    Brain cells tell you to either have sex or go to war!