The sins of bottled water drinkers

[Ivan Seeking]

Plastic water bottles have gained greater popularity since the American public became more health conscious. Americans have also discovered the bottles to be convenient to carry when constantly on the move. However, a low rate of recycling these bottles throughout the nation does not compare to the high demand for water.

According to E, The Environmental Magazine’s website, 30 million empty water bottles are currently disposed of across the country. In 2004, a total of 15 percent of bottles used were recycled. [continued]

http://www.californiaaggie.com/article/?id=11167

 

[Pengwuino]

First I am evil for eating too much

Now i eat healthy and am still evil? I can't win!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Save your soul: Recycle

 

[Gale]

those bottles also give you cancer!

 

[jimmie]

I have two 500ml water bottles that I have had for well over a year. I distill water from the tap at home, with a Polar Bear water distiller. Just fill one of the bottles up and I am good till I get back home.

I'm amazed that they have lasted that long though, without getting cracked or whatever.

 

[Pengwuino]

I'm amazed that my university does not have a recycling program... but of course, we have art exhibits, half a million clubs and organizations, new buildings going up, new programs, a huge as hell gym (aka "student recreation center" that's entirely separate from the actual sports gyms on campus for the university sports teams) all student funded...

but no recycling program.

 

[SpaceTiger]

I'm not a big bottled water drinker, but I always recycle those bottles. Not only is there no ambiguity about their recyclability (unlike my junkmail), but you don't even need to wash them out. A free and easy sense of self-righteousness...yay!

 

[Gale]

i recycle mine too... they give you cancer if you reuse them too often... CANCER!

 

[Hurkyl]

Ack, not cancer!

Oh wait, I drink my water out of a plastic soda bottle instead of a plastic water bottle! I'm safe! Right?

 

[jimmie]

they give you cancer if you reuse them too often... CANCER!

uhhh...hehe...I was not aware of that.

Can you direct me to any reliable source to confirm that info?

 

[Moonbear]

I'm not a big bottled water drinker, but I always recycle those bottles. Not only is there no ambiguity about their recyclability (unlike my junkmail), but you don't even need to wash them out. A free and easy sense of self-righteousness...yay!

I have the same view, though they don't do recycling where I live...if I want to recycle, I have to cart everything myself to a recycling center. I like just putting the recycling out at the curb next to the regular trash every week, not saving it up and lugging it to some recycling center where I'll probably have to sort it all out too. Who has time for that? Better to just not drink so much bottled water (I actually only take it with me to the farm because the water there tastes funny and I do need to drink a lot of water when working there, but I refill the bottles with regular tap water from home).

Gale, I don't think there's any cancer risk unless you microwave the plastic. I think this came up in a thread in biology a while ago...either that, or you'd have to actually eat the bottles, or something like that.

 

[Gale]

uhhh...hehe...I was not aware of that.
Can you direct me to any reliable source to confirm that info?

i probably can... but will i?? dun dun dun... that's a whole 'nother ball game!

Ack, not cancer!

Oh wait, I drink my water out of a plastic soda bottle instead of a plastic water bottle! I'm safe! Right?

uh ya..

actually just google Nalgene and Cancer, and there's tons of articles on it. i don't know which one would interest you most. apparently there's loads of health risks, especially if you wash them. that's for hard plastic at least. soft plastic has bacteria? mostly its just fun to say things cause CANCER!

 

[Pengwuino]

Gale, the internet is not reliable :P

 

[SpaceTiger]

mostly its just fun to say things cause CANCER!

I heard you cause cancer.

 

[Gale]

Gale, the internet is not reliable :P

YOU'RE NOT RELIABLE!

and apparently its the polycarbonate in the bottles that increases likelihood of cancer when it breaks down after long time use? because it releases the chemical Bisphenol A into your water. and this potentially causes brain damage and cancer...

and ya, moonbear, i think i first heard about it in the bio thread. but california apparently considered banning the use of hard plastics in childrens toys due to this? I'm just regurgitating now. there are health studies about it if people are interested.

Also, while googling about hard plastics... i read that its potentially more detrimental to the environment to try and recycle all the plastic we consume from bottles than it is to just trash them? dunno..

 

[Gale]

I heard you cause cancer.

that doesn't even dignify a response...

 

[jimmie]

a little research I just did shows that LDPE, the material that my bottles are made from, are safe for direct contact with food/water.

Phew.

 

[SpaceTiger]

that doesn't even dignify a response...

I can see that...

 

[Pengwuino]

that doesn't even dignify a response...

Well Gale sure isn't winning the humor ribbon this year

 

[Gale]

Well Gale sure isn't winning the humor ribbon this year

You know what?!?? here i was saving the world... and you and spacetiger are just being meany stupid heads! see if i try to save you from cancer again!

 

[Pengwuino]

You know what?!?? here i was saving the world... and you and spacetiger are just being meany stupid heads! see if i try to save you from cancer again!

Shhhhh, go back to your myspace

 

[moose]

those bottles are known to the state of california to give you cancer!

there, fixed it

 

[Moonbear]

You know what?!?? here i was saving the world... and you and spacetiger are just being meany stupid heads! see if i try to save you from cancer again!

See, now that made me laugh. I don't think we could not have pillowhead nominated for being funny.

I'm not worried about cancer...I grew up in NJ, I know I'll get it from something I've already been exposed to.

 

[mattmns]

Yes I would certainly like to see a source on that gale! I drink nothing but water, have been for the past 4 years or so, and I use the same bottle over and over again, sometimes for weeks!

edit.. I guess if I have been doing it for 4 years I probably already have cancer. What kind of cancer do I have?http://www.snopes.com/toxins/bottles.asp

http://www.plasticsinfo.org/beveragebottles/APCWaterBottlesFAQs.pdf

 

[Pengwuino]

edit.. I guess if I have been doing it for 4 years I probably already have cancer. What kind of cancer do I have?

Testicular... sorry

 

[mattmns]

I am going to trust you on this one Pengwuino. Tomorrow I will schedule an appointment for a vasectomy, thanks for the help!

 

[Pengwuino]

I am going to trust you on this one Pengwuino. Tomorrow I will schedule an appointment for a vasectomy, thanks for the help!

You're welcome!

 

[franznietzsche]

those bottles also give you cancer!

Being alive gives you cancer

 

[Ivan Seeking]

All of this talk about cancer causes stress, and stress causes cancer. Now where is my water bottle?

 

[loseyourname]

So does the plastic in refrigerator pitchers and the lead in water pipes cause cancer at a lower rate than the plastic in water bottles? And what is with all of Gale's messenger icons? Have you ever thought of consolidating?