Of course, water doesn't go bad. Having an expiration date on a bottle of water makes about as much sense as having an expiration date on sugar or salt. However, there are several reasons why bottled water comes with an expiration date. The main one is government regulations. Water is a consumable food product, and as such, it is subject to laws requiring expiration dates on all consumables.
While "expired" unopened bottled water isn't going to do you any harm, it isn't going to get better with age, either unlike a bottle of fine wine. The plastic that water is packaged in, usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for retail bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for water cooler jugs, may begin leaching into the liquid, affecting its taste. Bottles made from PET plastic leach compounds that mimic the hormone oestrogen raising questions about their safety, like plastics bottles containing the chemical bisphenol-a (BPA).
The expiration date on bottled water also has certain benefits for the manufacturer. If consumers where to contact drink companies to complain that water they bought several years earlier tastes bad, the manufacturers can point out that it's their own fault for not drinking it by the expiration date. expiration dates are usually only one element of a printed code that also identifies the date, bottling plant, and other information. This information could be useful in tracking down contamination, bottling errors or product recalls.
Now have discussed expiration dates, lets talk a bit more about the alternatives to PET bottles. Currently I am into my glass bottles. Glass has been around for thousands of years. We know its chemical formula, a very simple SiO2. Nothing need be added, and, if nothing is, nothing leaches into water. We’ve been drinking not only water, but beer and wine and milk stored in glass for centuries. Only issue with glass is it can break of course.
As we now know the effects of certain plastic bottles, there is now an emergence of BPA- free bottles. BPA is one of the leading reasons why plastic bottles are regarded unsafe to drink water from. The chemical has been linked to numerous health problems like heart diseases, early puberty in girls, reduced fertility in women, neurological difficulties, and even certain types of cancer. However, BPA- free plastic is relatively new so its difficult to conclusively say if it is safer. Still sounds like the lesser of the plastic evils I guess.
At this point I think its important to also talk about the way plastic bottles contribute to pollution. Studies have suggested that more than 50 billion plastic water bottles are sold in a year worldwide. Out of which only 23% of bottles are picked up for recycling process. This causes huge repercussions of plastic bottle pollution with more than 38 billion bottles ending up as waste in landfills. That’s a lot of waste people.
At this point I must clarify, drinking from a plastic bottle is not going to kill. I am merely presenting information with a hint of my preference. To me as long as you are drinking water then that’s a bonus.
Next Ill be exploring stainless steel and copper drinking bottles.
Sources
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/29/2555698.htm
https://www.livescience.com/32636-why-do-bottles-of-water-have-expiration-dates-.html
https://aquacarpatica.com/
https://blog.liebherr.com/appliances/my/best-before-date-vs-expiry-date/
http://www.bpf.co.uk/Sustainability/pet_plastic_bottles_facts_not_myths.aspx
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