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| DON'T DRINK FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES |
Health experts have recommended that we drink 7 to 8-oz.
glasses of water per day in order to stay hydrated. To drink up to that amount
of water, most people are leaving home with a reusable bottle of drinking water
and which is mostly a plastic bottle.
Unfortunately, plastic bottles have many dangers and harmful
effects on both the environment and human health.
Check out
some of the main reasons you shouldn’t continue to drink plastic bottled
water:
Heart
problems
Plastics are made of many dangerous chemicals that leach into
your body when you drink or eat warm food from them. They can slowly cause
health problems that can go as far as chronic illnesses like heart problems.
Breast
cancer
Sun heat is known for causing plastics to release a toxin
called dioxin which accelerates breast cancer when consumed.
Diabetes
and Obesity
On January 26, a publication in the Environmental Science
& Technology journal revealed that plastics used for drinking and eating
everyday products may impact weight gain and even cause obesity. This happens
when we ingest chemicals like bisphenols and phthalates which are
metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs).
Fertility Problems
Drinking plastic bottle water exposes you to BPA, a chemical
found in plastics. It’s been banned in many countries because it’s harmful to
our health in many ways. BPA exposes us to biphenyl A, a chemical that mimics hormones
like estrogen and may disrupt the reproductive process. It plays a role in
about 20 % of unexplained infertility, Harvard University researchers.
The chemical also causes behavioural problems and even early
puberty in girls. Also, the chemical phthalates, found in plastics can cause
liver cancer and low sperm count.
You better try eating and drinking from steel and copper
containers no matter how difficult adjusting to a healthy lifestyle is.
Back in 2010, Karin Michels, the Associate professor of
gynecology, obstetrics, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School at
the time experimented on 77 Harvard College students who drank water in a two-week
trial period. They drank cold beverages from stainless steel water bottles for one
week and from polycarbonate bottles during the following week.
The result was a 69 percent increase in BPA levels in their urine
samples during the polycarbonate week.
Immune system harm
Another reason to avoid drinking water in plastic bottles is
that it harms your Immune system: The many chemicals you ingest from plastic
bottles tend to disturb the immune system of our bodies.
Precautions
while eating and drinking
If avoiding plastic containers totally is too difficult for you, begin by
reducing their use. Also transfer your stored water from plastic bottles into glass
bottles, stainless-steel or copper vessels.
If you buy from the restaurant for home delivery, ask about
the grade of plastic container they use. Plastic is plastic though. Also, ask
if they can send you the food in a container that is not plastic.
Besides, when plastic plates are not well washed, soap residues
remain on them and this is particularly dangerous. The good news is, utensils
made of stainless steel, brass and copper are easier to wash.
Nowadays, companies are beginning to remove BPA from some products. The sad
news is, this chemical is being replaced by other unsafe chemicals.
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