We all often have water bottles in our hands, and now, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people are stocking up on big crates of bottled water to make sure they don’t run out of water during the quarantine. But there is a fact! Bottled water does not last forever.
When was the last time you checked the expiration date on your bottled water? In this post, you will learn tips for stocking up bottled water smartly, whether or not there is a global crisis.
Going deep
Bottled water does expire! As the meat or dairy products come with a sell-by date, you might be surprised that bottled water also comes with a time stamp. It is not the quality of water you should be worried about. It is the plastic bottle that water comes packaged in. The plastic water bottle is made up of polyethylene terephthalate (PTE). For water dispensers, plastic jugs are made up of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Once expired, the plastic can leach into the water. When exposed to heat, including sunlight, harmful chemicals can get into the water, which can even cause the death of a person. It should not come as a surprise as we all know the detrimental effects of using plastic.
Plastic not only affects the taste of the water, but it also creates a serious health hazard. Plastic is disruptive to the endocrine system and causes various cancers and neurological problems. It can also be responsible for damaging the immune system of a person.
How do expiration dates keep us safe from all this?
Now the question arises – how do expiration dates on the plastic bottles keep us safe from all the hazards? The majority of water bottle companies print the standard two-year expiration date. Precisely, no one can predict when exactly the water in the bottle will no longer be useful to drink. It stands to reason that the longer the bottle has been in circulation, the more likely it was exposed to higher temperatures and started to degrade. Therefore, bottled water companies keep the standard expiration date of two years.
Many doctors believe that the quality of the water depends on several factors. Even a fresh water bottle that was transported through a loading truck can already have adverse and toxic compounds present in the water because of the heat inside the truck. So the expiration date would hardly be of any use. Once the plastic is exposed to heat, it starts releasing its toxic compounds into the water, making it unhealthy to drink. As a general rule, avoid storing bottled water or placing the water dispenser directly under sunlight. You can also ask your delivery partner to replace the old bottle with a new one, giving him the reason.
