Urban Legend - see http://www.snopes.com/toxins/bottles.asp

James Kapin
Advanced Chemical Safety
858-874-5577 Cell 619-990-5955

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of
Qureshi, Rasim M.
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 5:33 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Re-use mineral Water bottles
Importance: Low

Dear Forum
I would like to consult the opinion of the experts in the Forum on the
following article that I have received. I would highly appreciate your
response or guidance in order to check the authenticity of the article

 Article states that
"DO NOT RE-USE Mineral Water Bottles"
"Many are unaware of the poisoning caused by re-using plastic bottles.
Some
of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable mineral
water bottles (eg. Nestle, Bisleri, Aquafina, Evian e.t.c..) keeping
them
in your car or at work is not a good idea.
It happened in Dubai, when a 12 year old girl died after a long usage
(16
months) of SAFA mineral water bottle, as she used to carry the same
fancy
(painted by herself) bottle to her school daily.

In a nut shell, the plastic (called Polyethylene terephthalate or PET)
used
in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element some thing
called diethylhydroxylamine DEHA. The bottles are safe for one time use
only; if you must keep them longer , it should be or not more than few
days,
week max, and keep them away from heat as well. Repeated washing and
rinsing
can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancer-causing
chemical agents) can leak into the water that you are drinking. better
to
invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple use."

Hope to hear from all of you about the credibility of the article, any
ways
I have checked on the MSDS of the chemical mentioned and couldn't find
any
clue for them to be carcinogens.

Best Regards

Rasim M Qureshi
Safety Engineer
United

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