Lucius Parshall

Single-use bottles are predominantly made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Over the 450 years it takes for a bottle to decompose, it releases over 150 unique chemicals, including antimony, a heavy metal used in production, and phthalates, known hormone disruptors. Once leached, these potential carcinogens can accumulate in the liver, kidney, and other organs. Studies have revealed that approximately 90% of bottled water contains microplastic particles, with each particle releasing this chemical cocktail to consumers. This problem extends beyond the bottled water directly consumed by any one consumer. With a recycling rate of only about 5%, most of these bottles end up in landfills, where they inevitably leach back into our drinking water, posing a risk for every citizen of our state, not just the purchaser of the product. We are still living in the shadow of Saint Gobain’s poisoning and still waiting for remediation. We don’t need to recreate this tragedy by turning a blind eye to the facts. I understand the challenges faced by bottlers in considering transportation costs to remain competitive. I would have more sympathy if I could see a voluntary shift to either aluminum or glass bottles or good legislation would level the playing field by requiring proper packaging materials from all bottlers. However, allowing these bottlers to pollute our environment exhausts my sympathy.