BelSU scientist speaks on the dangers of bottled water

Aleksey Deykin, Director of the BelSU Joint Centre for Genetic Technologies, spoke as a guest expert at Slushaem, the radio channel of Russia’s biggest multimedia platform Smotrim.ru. His talk was devoted to how safe the water sold in a plastic bottle is and whether people need to completely switch to drinking it.

Aleksey Deykin noted that even food-grade plastic used for bottle production contains phenol and microplastics. Those dangerous compounds can penetrate into drinking water, but only if the storage conditions were violated or if used after its shelf life expired.

‘Plastic begins to decompose only after a certain time or under the influence of temperature. That is, it is important to consume the bottled water in a timely manner. Plastic bottles with water should also be kept away from the sunlight, radiators and other heating devices. It is better to refrain from multiple use of water bottles and avoid storing liquids in them for a long time,’ said Alexey Deykin.

It is safer to store drinking water in glass or tin containers, they do not emit harmful compounds and microplastics. The scientist adds that there are also benefits in plastic bottle use as they are cheaper than other containers, which makes it easier to deliver water to the regions of the planet suffering from water shortages due to climate or geopolitical issues.

‘In wild nature, human immune cells do not encounter plastic, since it is an artificial material invented by man. In the modern world, no living thing can avoid contacting and accumulating microplastics. The scientists have not completely studied this effect yet,’  he added.

Alexey Deikin reassured the audience that the bottled water isn’t generally unsafe and advised drinking the water approved for use by sanitary services. This can be bottled water, tap water, and well water. Well or spring water must be heated to boil as it kills the microorganisms living in it. But there is no need to boil bottled water as heat treatment does not remove metals, impurities and microplastics.