My limited understanding so far, is that a good amount of plastics commonly used for food/drink in their more basic state are pretty inert and non reactive, especially the polyethylenes, polyesters, polypropylenes, etc
But what happens with some these basic plastics, especially when turned into bottles, containers, films, etc companies will add various plasticizing chemicals to make them more flexible, moldable, durable, etc. It's not so much the basic plastic which is the problem, but the extra plasticizing chemicals that get added.
Manufacturers do not have to list these, and a lot of what they do in adding extra chemicals is "proprietary".
So unless you're a chemist and endocrinologist combined and can analyze the various added chemicals and their effects on the body IN A LONG TERM SENSE, how are we going to know it's all generally safe for health, doesn't leech, etc? Can we trust the industry and huge corporations to look out for our long term well being? In the U.S. can we *fully* trust FDA, EPA, and the like? In America, the dollar is God. I suspect this is true (currency/money being God) to a greater or lesser extent in much of the world.
Changing formulas and ingredients, changing manufacturing methods costs money, and change in established, working routine is usually seen as "bad" by most humans, especially when it costs money. I'm not saying there is a grand conspiracy to make us sick and weak, and all that, but rather that greed is pervasive and when it's so pervasive, people have a tendency to start to look the other way about important issues.
Believe me, i would LOVE to believe that most plastics are completely, or even mostly safe under most normal conditions, but having had and to some extent still having some health issues, i would err on the side of caution.
The fact that some plastics leave a taste behind when used for water or the like, is something that i don't like taste wise, and makes me extra cautious about any possible harmful chemical leeching. There might be a lot of drama and exaggeration in the media about some of these issues, but to think there is not a kernel of truth either, is perhaps naive too.
There have been some studies (plural), which show, btw that some of these potentially harmful chemicals like BPA are found in detectable amounts in peoples bodies. If not coming from plastics, where are they coming from?
I just heard on the radio the other day (NPR i believe) a piece about how epidemic early onset puberty is becoming in America. On the show was an endocrinologist, as well as a general researcher/journalist. It's starting to become more and more common for even 7 and 8 year old girls to start their period and go through puberty in the U.S.! It's even starting to happen to 6 year olds!
You can argue all day about how safe these chemicals are, how they have no effect on people's bodies blah, blah blah, but obviously something going on, and it may be a combination of factors like hormones in foods and endocrine altering chemicals in plastics for starters.
For people on a site essentially devoted to nature, it's amazing how cavalier so many attitudes on here regarding lot's of these things.
Did you know that you can boil water in almost anything? As long as it contains enough water a plastic container like a bottle will become twisted and burned but the water will come to boil inside. However, this might cause chemicals from the plastic to leak into the water. Something which obviously could be hazardous.
If one, for some reason, end up in a situation where you have the ability to make a fire, you find soiled water and a plastic bottle and might otherwise die of dehydration – then I would boil and filter water the best I could in order to survive. Thus risking the plastic toxins. Another situation where boiled water could be useful is if you need to clean out a wound but have no other option for boiling water. For everyday use, I would naturally not recommend this method.
Carry a stainless steel bottle or mug insteadYou could opt to carry a stainless bottle instead. That way you would be sure to have a metal container to use as a ”kettle” if need be. Or a smaller stainless stel mug. That could be something to have on your belt even for micro-adventures and thus upping your preparedness for emergencies. However you should check that the bottle or mug is not lined with BPA or something similar.
On day-trips I like to carry a thermos, a Nalgene bottle and a steel mug. Choosing a water bottle for outdoor activitiesI’ve tried several different bottles. From my used soda bottles to the sturdy plastic flasks you get handed in the army. Now I’m talking about what I use going on hikes, though, every situation could turn into an emergency so I like to be prepared.
I like the Nalgene bottles because of the wide mouth, they are easy to refill when I hike in the Swedish mountains where you can take fresh water from streams. They are also easy to clean after use.
Metal mugA metal mug is something I basically always bring, that way I have a safer option for boiling water in an emergency. It is so small that I can keep it as part of my Every Day carry, which I show you below.
KettleA proper kettle feels like a luxury outdoors and I bring one as often as I can. It is great when I want to boil water for a a 24 hour meal ration as well.
My Every Day Carry-kit consists of lots of useful stuff.