Toxic Trade-Off: Water Bottles

We have all heard it before… there is too much plastic usage in our world and that plastic does not decompose for approximately 450 years. 

The practice of bottling and transporting water has ancient roots so it’s hard to say exactly when the first water bottle was invented.

Recognizing the commercial potential, entrepreneurs began bottling the water from the Holy Well to sell to those who could not make the journey.

The technology for bottling water during this period was rudimentary compared to today’s standards. Glass bottles sealed with cork were the primary containers used. These bottles were then transported by horse-drawn carriages, limiting the reach of distribution. However, the practice laid the groundwork for the modern bottled water industry.

It wasn’t until plastic bottles were used in bottles water that they took the beverage industry by storm. In 1973, Nathan Wyeth, with the chemical company DuPont, patented PET plastic. Since then, water bottles have changed the world forever. PET is perfect for companies to cheaply mass-produce a lightweight and durable bottle. It has also proven the perfect material for a global crisis in our oceans.

So, where does all this bring us today?

Bisphenol A (BPA) can leach out from polycarbonate baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging into baby food. This can act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and appear related to the increased risk of various health problems including endocrine disturbances.

Below are some striking stats to consider:

• The average American drinks roughly 31 to 47 gallons of bottled water a year.
• Less than 30 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled.
• Bottled water is full of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Anti-estrogens and anti-androgens are present in most bottled water.
• Estrogenicity in water from plastic bottles is three times higher compared to glass.
• Contamination of bottled water results in human exposure to endocrine disruptors.
• Bottled water risks include an increased cancer risk. One study found 11 out of 18 bottled water sampled induced estrogenic effects in a human cancer cell line.
• People in the U.S. buy half a billion bottles of water a week, more than enough to circle the globe five times.
• Laboratory testing conducted by Environmental Working Group found popular bottled water brands contained mixtures of 38 different pollutants, including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol and industrial chemicals, some at levels no better than tap water. Some even contain high levels of cancer-causing chlorination byproducts.
• Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, told the New York Times that “there is no reason to believe that bottled water is safer than tap water.”
• In the U.S., public water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires multiple daily tests for bacteria and makes results available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water, only requires weekly testing and does not share its findings with the EPA or the public.
• According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some bottled water risks include fluoride exposure. Fluoride can occur naturally in source waters used for bottling, or it can be added.
• Bottled water testing has found things like kerosene, styrene, mold, yeast, algae and even crickets in samples!

So, what can we do?  Having said all this, everything is not doom and gloom, there are things we can do within our control.

If you drink bottled water, there are ways to do it more safely. Such as:

• do not reuse single-use bottles
• do not let plastic water bottles get too hot
• look for purified bottled water.

We have no affiliation with any of these products and were not asked to make recommendations. We have personally used many and felt compelled to suggest them to you.

• Take stock of the plastic in our daily lives and find alternatives whenever feasible.
• Avoid consuming beverages in plastic containers.
• If your beverages come in plastic, transfer it to glass for long-term storage.
• Use glass and metal water containers, take them with you while traveling as well. Keeping our reusable water bottles clean will ensure their durability for a long time.

As consumers, we are. But we’re not without big industry support and pressure.

Asia is the largest plastics producer in the world. China alone accounted for 32 percent of global production in 2023. In recent years, China produced between six and 12 million metric tons of plastic products each month. North America ranks second worldwide in terms of plastic production.

As global plastics production has increased, the United States has played a major role in the industry. Many of the world’s largest plastic manufacturers are based in the US, such as Dow Chemical and the ExxonMobil chemical division. In 2023, North America accounted for 17 percent of global plastic materials production.

According to Earth.org’s website, 

“Launched in 2019 by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a major plastics trade association, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste was publicized as a campaign aimed at shifting the conversation “away from short-term simplistic bans of plastic.” Alliance members, which include Chevron Phillips Chemical, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, Procter & Gamble and Shell, pledged $1.5 billion in clean-up efforts primarily concerning waste collection and recycling. To date, they have provided only one-fourth of that funding, according to Greenpeace.”

Of the 400 million tons of plastic globally produced annually, only 9% is successfully recycled.

Remember, the best effort is your spending habits. 

There was an effort to try to limit the amount of plastics manufactured globally. Unfortunately, the global plastic pollution treaty talks at the INC-5 meeting failed during Fall 2024. While there are talks of instituting production caps and agreeing to phase out certain chemicals and products, it has not been easy to bring 170 nations and 440 organizations into a uniformed agreement. To add to the pressures of big oil and chemical influence, the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reported there were over 220 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered to attend the INC-5 meeting, representing the largest single delegation at the talks. To date, no agreement has been reached.

At the current rate, global plastic pollution could triple by 2040 unless we take immediate action. Over the past five years, the number of national and voluntary actions to tackle the problem has increased by 60%. Despite this, plastic pollution has continued to increase by 50%.

It is so convenient to opt for the easy option, however we should not accept the current system and aim to make a difference around us. You can start small by changing your personal habits, and then influence your family, friends, and community around you. How? Consider gifting a really nice glass or stainless steel water bottle that speaks to their style. 

🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱 🌱

There is hope and it resides in our spending habits and the choices we make every day. Don’t settle. You can make a difference in your health and that of your families, your communities, your flora and fauna neighbors, your planet, and the seven generations yet to come.

• The History of the Water Bottle. (n.d.). Just Bottle. https://www.justbottle.co/pages/the-history-of-the-water-bottle
• Ocean Blue Project. (2021, August 5). How water bottles came to rule the world – and why they may destroy it. Environmental Nonprofit Organization. https://oceanblueproject.org/big-ways-to-help-the-environment/
• Jeon GW. Bisphenol A leaching from polycarbonate baby bottles into baby food causes potential health issues. Clin Exp Pediatr. 2022 Sep;65(9):450-452. doi: 10.3345/cep.2022.00661. Epub 2022 Jul 25. PMID: 35879867; PMCID: PMC9441614.
• Bottled Water Risks: Are you drinking a toxic Rip-Off? – Dr. Axe. (2024, July 15). Dr. Axe. https://draxe.com/nutrition/bottled-water-risks/
• Plastic Polllution Coalition. (2024, March 4). Study finds hundreds of thousands of plastic particles in bottled water. Plastic Pollution Coalition. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2024/1/10/study-finds-hundreds-of-thousands-of-plastic-particles-in-bottled-water
• Kirchner, L. (2023, December 7). The problem with bottled water. Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/bottled-water/the-problem-with-bottled-water-a9416685511/
• BMJ. (2024, September 25). Urgent rethink of bottled water’s huge and growing toll on human and planetary health – BMJ Group. BMJ Group – Helping doctors make better decisions. https://bmjgroup.com/urgent-rethink-of-bottled-waters-huge-and-growing-toll-on-human-and-planetary-health/
• Oliviarosane. (2024, January 10). Average liter of bottled water contains 240,000 “Toxic” plastic particles. Common Dreams. https://www.commondreams.org/news/bottled-water-plastic-particles/
• H2o, O. (2025, February 17). Why are Disposable Water Bottles Harmful to the Environment? Office H2O. https://www.officeh2o.com/blog/water-news/why-are-disposable-water-bottles-harmful-to-the-environment/