Can we drink the plastic bottle left in a hot car?

The rumor about not drinking water left in a hot car will be spread the moment summer comes every year. Is really the plastic bottle carcinogenic? Let’s take a look.

If you read through this article, you’ll know it’s not true. But considering other risks, you should also not leave a plastic bottle in an overheating room.

Rumors originated in a 2007 U.S. email saying that heat and plastic bottles together produce chemicals, mainly plasticizers, that will increase the risk of cancer. But soon after, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected the claim.

As for PET, which is used as making plastic bottles, the country has strict regulations for it. Pet is a pure polymer material which is polymerized from two or three monomers such as TPA and EG.

When with water, PET does not melt into acetaldehyde until 260 ℃, and the temperature below 100 ℃ will not make any pressure on PET, which indicates that it’s safe enough to drink water in plastic bottles.

Under sealed conditions, the microbes in bottled water are difficult to reproduce, but the water after opening the cap is easily contaminated by bacteria.

In addition, on Reader’s digest, there was an article reported a plastic bottle in a hot car caused a fire!

“Amuchastegui was sitting in his parked car eating lunch when he noticed smoke inside. Taking a closer look, he realized the spot of light under his water bottle was starting to catch fire. ‘I had to do a double take,’ says Amuchastegui. ‘It was hot enough to start burning a hole through the seat. ’Sure enough, the extreme heat left two little burn marks. Thankfully, he noticed it before it could do any major damage.

To avoid the scary fire risk, carry your bottle with you instead of leaving it in an overheating car. If you absolutely must keep it inside, stash it under a seat so it’s out of the sun.”

To conclude, the water in a plastic bottle left in a car is safe to drink, but you’d better not leave the bottle and finish your water in due time.