Myth 2
Drinking bottled water left in the car will give you cancer
Most cars in Thailand have a few bottles of water lying around because petrol stations give them away. According to circulated information, those plastic bottles, when left in the hot and sun-drenched car, can turn toxic.
“Drinking water left in the car can cause cancer, as the heat will result in bisphenol A (BPA) from the plastic to be leaked into the water.” [or so the shared Facebook says]
Dr Paisit Trakoonkongsamut, a specialist in holistic health, explained that though bisphenol A does cause cancer, is only found in certain kinds of plastic. Luckily, the plastic used to make water bottles is not one of those.
“Water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, and it is BPA-free, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Even when exposed to heat, it is not likely that anything will be leaked into the water. What’s more worrying is that when we drink directly from the bottle, germs from our mouth can get into the water. They can multiply in a warm environment, and in that case, bottled water can be bad for your health.”