How safe is water?

The debate over the safety of drinking water in plastic bottles has been going on for decades now; multiple research works are coming up with new findings pointing at the harmful effects of the bottled water on the human body and yet, no step has been taken so far to put a ban on plastic bottles universally. Research by the American Diabetic Association said that plastic bottles release millions of plastic particles into the water, which may enter the human body and increase the toxin level. It further said excessive plastic particles have the potential to alter insulin level thereby increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Though we know that steel, glass and ceramic containers are comparatively safer for storing drinking water, yet it is the cost that finally comes to play the major role. Consumers do not want to pay more than a certain amount while buying bottled water on a short trip or for a programme that will be over in two to four hours. Since plastic bottles are cheap and can be thrown away after use it is considered a big advantage by the consumers, especially in the urban areas.

Health experts doing research on bottled water have discovered links to various hormonal diseases, breast cancer, diabetes and intestinal infections and raised the red flag from time to time, but they are too weak before the financially powerful manufacturers who would spend huge amounts to bury the research findings. Some giant bottlers try to push aside the smaller companies with arguments that they use food grade plastic which is not harmful for human consumption.

We wonder when we have such information with our health departments we could not take any effective steps to ban plastic bottles. Instead, the demand for plastic water bottles has been rising in a frightening proportion. In this country one will find all the popular brands even in the remote corners to the joy of the visitors. The empty discarded bottles continue to do harm to humans. They finally find their way to the nearby canals and rivers and do the tell-tale damage to nature.

We urge the government to impose strict laws regarding compulsory use of food grade plastic bottles to store drinking water and thereby contribute to minimizing health hazards of the citizens.