The perils of bottled drinks
The present heatwave has seen the sale of bottled water increase rapidly. But today health authorities are warning the public to make sure the bottled water they purchase from shops along the street are not exposed to direct sunlight.
Colombo’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) -Dr. Ruwan Wijeyamuni- said
“PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles once exposed to direct sunlight release chemicals into the contents of plastic bottles, irrespective of whether they contain water or soda.
He lamented there was no legal provision to take action against sellers exposing plastic bottles to sunlight, but warned the public should be careful when purchasing bottled water.
Dr. Wijeymuni said Public Health Inspectors have been instructed to keep a check on sellers of bottled water and advice them to store bottled water and carbonated drinks packaged in plastic bottles in a dry and cool places inside shops.
He added the public should ensure the bottles of bottled water they purchase carry the name of the manufacturer, whether it has met standards set by Sri Lanka Standards Institution and a Health Ministry registration number.
The Chief Medical Officer warned, that especially when going on trips, people tended to buy bottled water because of the prevailing warm weather conditions. However, the above requirements should be checked he added as there could be impurities in the water after being exposed to the sun. He said the chemical reaction to sunlight could result in algae formation in the bottles.
Dr. Wijeyamuni stressed it was safer to buy bottled of water stored in refrigrators than those exposed to sunlight,