by When it comes to quenching thirst, nothing works better than plain old water. Most of us carry some with us and toss a bottle of water into our bags or car and at work and home we drink from water coolers all the time. All of these water containers, jugs, and bottles are not created equally and some are made from plastics that may be harmful to your health.
If you want what’s best for you and your family you need to know which kinds are the safest and healthiest. The best and clearest way to determine if the plastic bottle you’re about to buy or use is safe or not is to look for the number on the bottle.
All plastic bottles are labeled somewhere with a number between 1 and 7, usually it’s located on the bottom. The number is surrounded by three arrows and it’s there to indicate what type of plastic the bottle is made out of. It’s important to know these numbers because some are better than others.
In the accompanying Howcast video Allegra goes over which ones are safe versus the more toxic types. She has a great tip on how to remember and differentiate the good from the bad with the saying: “1-2-4-5 stay alive, 3-6-7 straight to heaven.” This generally means that plastic bottles and containers numbered 1, 2, 4, and 5 are better, safer, and less toxic than the ones labeled with a 3, 6, or 7.
The safest and all around best way to avoid any of the potential harmful effects caused by plastics is to not use any plastic in the first place. Instead, try to use ceramic or glass containers whenever possible, especially to hold or store food and beverage products in.
Of course, it’s very difficult to completely remove all types of plastics from your life when they’re so widely used in this day and age. When you do use plastics, make sure it’s the types labeled 1, 2, 4, or 5, as well as those that are labeled BPA free.
BPA is a dangerous synthetic compound that is highly carcinogenic and often used in many plastics. Because it’s so common lots of plastic water bottles and containers have BPA in them, so try to avoid those at all costs.
The next time you pick up a bottle of water or go to buy some at the store, make sure to check the number on it first. Please pass this information along so everyone knows to do the same. The more awareness we have, the better the choices we can make, and we can all stay as healthy as possible.
Did you know about what these symbols on the water bottles before right now? Let us know!
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