Why You must Never Re-use Your Plastic Water Bottles

by Esther Muindi
(Gikomora, Maragua,)

Some of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable mineral water bottles, keeping them in your car or at work.

Not a good idea. It happened in Dubai, when a 12 years old girl died after a long usage (16 months) of SAFA mineral water bottle, as she used to carry the same fancy (painted by herself) bottle to her school daily.

In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (Diethyl-hydroxylamine DEHA).

The bottles are safe for one time use only: if you must keep them longer, it should be for no more than a few days, a week maximum, and keep them away from heat as well.

Repeated washing and rising can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancer-causing chemical agents) can leak into the water that YOU are drinking.Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses.

This is not something we should be scrimping on. Those of you with families - do please advise them, especially children.

This is a special Warning for families who hang onto these disposable bottles and use them for cold water in their fridges for ages!

When a bottle looks a bit yellow - please get rid of it as a precaution.

Prevention is better than cure