If you want an idea of why some people think plastic packaging is dangerous, check out this story.
Newswise, a news release distribution service, posted an item today about University of Florida Professor Lena Ma's research into whether PET water bottles are safe.
Ma's research, which was published in the journal Environmental Pollution, looked at 16 brands of bottled water kept at 158° F for four weeks. The release says the researchers called that the “worst-case scenario” for human consumption.
In other words, we're not talking about leaving a water bottle in your parked car for a day or two.
The results: Of the 16 brands, only one exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency standard for antimony and bisphenol A. So, Ma said, based on the study, storage at warm temperatures is "not be a big problem," according to the release.
But that doesn't sound very exciting, does it? So the headline on the item — remember, this is aimed at journalists — is "Don't Drink the (Warm) Water, Study Says."
Isn't that just about the opposite of what the study found? That even in a "worst-case scenario," the water was safe?
So now you know, if you see any coverage of the study that implies that it's unsafe to drink from a warm water bottle — or if you eventually see this study cited by a friend on Facebook — that there's more to the report than you can get from the headline.