Reasons to change:
Health problems:
Most plastic bottles contain bisphenol A, known as BPA. This chemical can cause female and male infertility. BPA has been linked to genetic problems in womens’ eggs, heart problems and high blood pressure. In animals, BPA has been associated with low sperm numbers, problems with development of babies, and prostate cancer.BPA can cause behavior problems too. Even low doses of BPA given to mice caused autism spectrum and attention deficit disorder in the next three generations of mice! Due to the growing health concerns, the Food and Drug Administration banned BPA in baby products, such as baby bottles, but BPA is still found widely in other products. 90% of Americans actually test positive for BPA in their urine! Given all of the possible health dangers of plastic bottles, this is kind of scary, right?
Unfortunately, plastic bottles that are marked BPA free might not be safe either. The BPA can just be replaced with another harmful chemical, like BPS, according to this article in National Geographic.
Animal health problems:
Animals are affected by the dangers of plastic bottles as well. The tops of plastic bottles cannot be recycled and end up in the stomachs of sea animals that mistake them for food. There are chilling reports of animals being found dead on beaches with stomachs full of bottle caps.
Once the water bottles end up in the ocean, it’s hard to clean them up according to National Geographic. Brilliant minds are working on ocean garbage removal, but so far none of the ideas have been successful. Part of the problem is that the plastic gets broken up into tiny pieces as it floats in the water, and it is hard to get rid of tiny garbage without getting rid of the tiny marine creatures of the same size.
Manta ray and sea turtle feed in the midst of plastic debris on one of Oahu’s beaches. Photo by John Johnson, onebreathphoto.com
How to avoid the dangers of plastic bottles:
Drink from reusable glass or stainless steel containers when possible. This will keep both our bodies and Mother Nature in good health!