Bottled water has an expiration date: why it matters

Each of us always has several water bottles. Many people even stock up on large packages of bottled water to be sure they will have enough for a long time. But it turns out that water in bottles actually cannot be stored forever, since it has an expiration date. Writes about it Reader's Digest.

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When was the last time you checked the expiration date of bottled water? Yes, she has an expiration date. And although the reason meat or dairy products have an expiration date is pretty obvious, you may be surprised that bottled water also has a date stamp.

It turns out that you need not worry about the quality of the water, but about the plastic in which the water is packaged. Manufacturers typically use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for small bottles and high density polyethylene (HDPE) for coolers.

According to Amy Lee Mercy, a healthy lifestyle expert and best-selling author, these plastics "leach out into the liquid, especially when the bottle has been exposed to heat, including sunlight." The toxicity contained in the plastic material penetrates the water. In addition, you will be surprised at how often you should wash a water bottle for reusable use.

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This not only affects the taste of water, but can also pose a serious health hazard. Substances emitted by plastic disrupt the endocrine system, cause diseases of the reproductive system, various types of cancer, neurological problems and damage the immune system. Plastic can also cause odors and other unpleasant impurities to accumulate in water.

So how does the shelf life on water bottles protect us from all this?

“A lot of bottled water companies put a standard expiration date of two years on them,” Mercy says, but admits that this is a fairly arbitrary number. There is no scientific way to accurately predict when bottled water is no longer potable, but "it stands to reason that the longer a bottle has been in circulation, the more likely it is that it has been exposed to heat or has begun to deteriorate."

According to the expert, water quality may depend on several factors.

“Even a brand new plastic bottle that has been in a hot car for hours or more can release harmful and toxic compounds into the water. And this can happen even when delivering water to the grocery store for the first time,” says Mercy.

But, as a rule, drinking bottled water is safe for your health if you drink it soon after purchase, do not expose the bottle to prolonged exposure to high temperature, do not keep it too close to household chemicals, and store it in the refrigerator after opening.

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