office
(+91)(0512) 2690015
fax (+91)(0512) 2690015
Mobile (+91) 9839033104
If I refill and reuse plastic bottles, should I be
concerned about potentially harmful bacteria?
Plastic bottles need to be cleaned between uses just as other
drinking containers. Plastics are by nature inert, and plastic
bottles are not likely to harbor bacteria. However, bacteria thrive
in warm, moist environments. Once bacteria have been introduced, any
container becomes a suitable environment for bacterial growth.
Consumers should clean any drinking container with hot soapy water
and dry thoroughly between uses. PET water bottles, however, are
intended for one time use as they are not capable of withstanding
hot temperatures (over 140 degrees). These plastic bottles can be
cleaned in the sink, but can not be placed in a dishwasher and
subjected to a drying cycle.
Will a plastic bottle leach harmful substances into water if
I reuse it?
Most beverage plastic bottles sold in the U.S. are made from
polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The FDA has determined that PET
meets standards for food contact materials established by federal
regulations and therefore permits the use of PET in food and
beverage packaging for both single use and repeated use. FDA has
evaluated test data that simulate long-term storage and that support
repeated use.
The toxicological properties of PET and any compounds that might
migrate under test conditions have also been well studied. The
results of these tests demonstrate that PET is safe for its intended
uses:
"PET itself is biologically inert if ingested, is dermally safe
during handling and is not a hazard if inhaled. No evidence of
toxicity has been detected in feeding studies using animals.
Negative results from Ames tests and studies into unscheduled DNA
synthesis indicate that PET is not genotoxic. Similar studies
conducted with monomers and typical PET intermediates also indicate
that these materials are essentially nontoxic and pose no threats to
human health. It is important to stress that the chemistry of
compounds that are used to manufacture PET shows no evidence of
oestrogenic activity. There is a significant body of evidence that
demonstrates that the use of PET is not a concern and is perfectly
safe in this respect."
Is it true that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
only allows plastic beverage bottles, such as those made with
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), for one-time use?
No, FDA allows PET to be used in food-contact applications,
including food and beverage packaging, regardless of whether the
packaging is intended for single or repeated use. PET beverage
bottles sold in the United States are designed for single use for
economic and cultural reasons, not because of any safety concerns
with PET.
In fact, refillable plastic bottles made with the same PET resin as
single-use bottles are safely reused in a number of other countries.
The only difference is that refillable bottles have thicker
sidewalls to enable them to withstand the mechanical forces involved
with industrial collection and commercial cleaning and refilling
operations.
Can freezing a PET plastic bottle cause dioxins to leach
into its contents?
There is no scientific basis to support the claim that PET plastic
bottles will release dioxin when frozen. Dioxins are a family of
chemical compounds that are produced by combustion at extremely high
temperatures. They can only be formed at temperatures well above 700
degrees Fahrenheit; they cannot be formed at room temperature or in
freezing temperatures. Moreover, there is no reasonable scientific
basis for expecting dioxins to be present in plastic food or
beverage containers in the first place.