Do not drink bottled water for long periods in the hot sun

(Americans) can receive a warning from a University of Florida study on bottled water made in China - don't drink water if you've left the water bottle for a long time at a high temperature. .

Plastic water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate . When heated, this material releases antimony (Sb) and bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA .

While the US Food and Drug Administration (EPA) - said BPA is not a worrying problem in low doses found in beverage covers, it is still necessary to study the effects of this substance. Some health agencies, including agencies at the Mayo Clinic, said the substance could cause negative effects on children's health.

Antimon is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen, which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Water and soil science professor Lena Ma of the University of Florida led a research group of released chemicals in 16 bottled water brands held at 158 ​​degrees F (70 degrees C) in Within 4 weeks, what researchers consider "the worst situation" for consumers.

Of the 16 brands, only one brand of antimony and BPA bottled water exceeded the standards of the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Based on this research, the storage at high temperatures does not seem to be a big problem, Ma said. But she said, more research is needed to know if other brands are safe.

Ma's research found that when water bottles were kept warm for a period of four weeks, the concentration of antimony and BPA increased. "If you keep the bottle long enough, it may be worrying , " Ma said. Ma is a member of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences), who also owns a research program at Nanjing University in China.

The scientist warns: do not leave the water bottle in the hot trunk of the car for several weeks or forget it in your car all day in the hot summer.

Because of what Ma thinks is, cultural differences and because Chinese people believe in their tap water, some bottles of water are left in the trunk for several weeks. In 2011 China consumed about 9.6 billion gallons of bottled water, making it a major market for this kind of goods.

According to the International Bottled Water Association, Americans also drank 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water in 2011. While most Americans do not leave water bottles in cars for a long time, they usually leave them for only a day or two. Drinking water for so long will not be dangerous, but doing so often can be harmful to health, she said. And not only are water containers worth studying more, Ma added.

"More attention should be paid to beverages that are packaged in polyethylene terephthalate , such as milk, coffee and acidic fruit juices" . " We only test pure water. So if it is acidic fruit juice then the results may be different."

And although not part of the study, Ma recommends using tap water instead of bottled water. Both types of water are regulated by the Federal government, tap water by EPA and bottled water by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The study was published in this month's issue of the Environmental Pollution magazine Environmental Pollution