Xeno-Estrogen in Plastic Water Bottles

Hormone-mimics In Plastic Water Bottles Act As Functional Estrogens

Further to the publicity about the dangers of babies formula plastic feeding bottles there is new research about xeno - estrogens in plastic drinking bottles.

Yvonne Bishop-Weston Nutritionist London says "One solution is to get your own water filter - save money, as a small plastic bottle of water can be a rediculous amount of money - use a glass or metal lined thermos flask and avoid the contamination from plastic by drinking from a glass."

More venus are now offering free filtered drinking water - such as Tibits in Heddon Street Piccadilly London.

Martin Wagner and Jörg Oehlmann from the Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, claim plastic mineral water bottles contaminate drinking water with estrogenic chemicals.

In an analysis of commercially available mineral waters, the researchers found evidence of estrogenic compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging into the water. Their findings, which show that substances leaching out of plastic food packaging materials act as functional estrogens, are published in Springer’s journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

They analyzed 20 brands of mineral water available in Germany – nine bottled in glass, nine bottled in plastic and two bottled in composite packaging (paperboard boxes coated with an inner plastic film).

They detected estrogen contamination in 78% of waters in plastic bottles and both waters bottled in composite packaging showed significant hormonal activity.

“We must have identified just the tip of the iceberg in that plastic packaging may be a major source of xenohormone* contamination of many other edibles. Our findings provide an insight into the potential exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals due to unexpected sources of contamination.” said Martin and Jörg

Ref: Wagner et al. Endocrine disruptors in bottled mineral water: total estrogenic burden and migration from plastic bottles. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2009; DOI: 10.1007/s11356-009-0107-7