Russia (bbabo.net) - Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered hundreds of chemicals in water that has stood for days in a reusable plastic bottle. Among these substances, some have proven to be potentially dangerous to humans.

The study showed the presence in the water, including substances that have never been found in plastic before. So, 400 substances were released from plastic and 3500 from detergent. Most of them turned out to be unknown, they have to be identified and determined how toxic they are. Among those that were immediately identified are antioxidants, plastic destroyers, an anti-adhesive release agent, the insecticide diethyltoluamide, as well as photoinitiators, which are potentially endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.

In the work, scientists used the container in the same way as people use it in everyday life. Often people drink water poured into a bottle a few hours ago. Therefore, chemists decided to check what happens to such water in a day. Liquid from dishwasher-washed bottles and those thoroughly rinsed in tap water after machine washing was analyzed. Both new bottles and those that have been used for a long time were used. A total of three different types of bottles were tested.

Washing in a car wears out plastic, so substances begin to be released from it. In the new reusable bottles, after an additional rinse, about 500 different substances remained in the water. More than 100 of these substances were obtained from the plastic itself.

Despite such indicators, scientists have not yet given an exact answer whether such water is harmful or not. While they have concentration data, and the toxicological study has not yet been completed, at the same time, the authors of the article themselves say that they would prefer to use a glass bottle or one made of stainless steel.

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