drink water from plastic boules? If you do, you might want to think about changing Do you your habit, because plastic water bottles hurt both people and the environment. First of all, plastic bottles contain two harmful chemicals: BPA and phthalates. Both types of chemicals can cause serious health problems in both adults and children. Second, plastic bottles hurt the environment. The bottles are made from peroleum, and transporting them requires an enormous amount of polluting fossil fuels. In the 1970s, the United States was the world's biggest exporter of fossil fuels. Also, most plastic bottles are not recycled. They end up in our landfills, where they can take many decades to break down. Because of these harmful effects of plastic water bottles on people and the evironment, I have stopped buying them. I now drink water from the tap, and guess what: it tastes good!