I recently came across another chain mail, about the numbers below plastic bottles we use. According to this mail, the number (generally within a triangle) written at the bottom, which ranges from one to seven, indicates how many times that particular plastic is recycled in reverse order. I dug a little deeper. Apparently, the number printed has nothing to do with the number of times plastic has been recycled. It’s just the type of plastic which is used for that particular bottle. 5 is polypropylene and 1 is polyethlyene terephthalate etc etc.
One primary use of having the numbers if to help recyclers to sort into appropriate groups. In other words, identification number.
1 – PET, polyethlyene terephthalate
2 – HDPE, high-density polyethylene
3 – PVC, polyvinyl chloride
4 – LDPE, low-density polyethylene
5 – PP, polypropylene
6 – PS/PS-E, polystyrene / expanded polystyrene
7 – OTHER, resins or multi-materials
Here is copy paste of that mail
How to avoid:Check on the bottom of the bottle there is a triangle sign and there will be a number on it. If the number is higher than or equal to 5 –> then this bottle is safe to use.Whatever number under 5, will release the chemical. For most bottle water, the number is 1.Did you know chemical released by plastic water bottles can cause cancer(It is not the water that affecting you but the chemical releasing from the bottle)Pass this to all your friends and also make them aware of it…How to avoid:Check on the bottom of the bottle there is a triangle sign and there will be a number on it. If the number is higher than or equal to 5 –> then this bottle is safe to use.
Whatever number under 5, will release the chemical. For most bottle water, the number is 1.
Did you know chemical released by plastic water bottles can cause cancer(It is not the water that affecting you but the chemical releasing from the bottle)
Pass this to all your friends and also make them aware of it…
The Bach 
I would definitly like the correct use of these plastic bottles, I am thorouly confused,after reading all the info proceeding. Is their a danger or not!??
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All bottles are at same level of dangerous as others.
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wow great!
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just got a gift …. plastic container that I can make shakes in. The bottom of this container is AS I can’t find anything that tells me what that means. Is this a harmful plastic. It comes from the GNC store… it’s there brand name on the product. There is no number anywhere on the container.
Thanks for your help!
Rose
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most probably not harmful, but I am not in right place to comment on that.
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If these bottles are unsafe why are they still in use???
If the the material is deadly why was it used in the first place??
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Because they are cheap to make and the big companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi are making a ton of profit. They don’t care about people, just money.
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DEHA in plastic bottles causing cancer to a little girl is completely false and is a hoax (one of those mass emails).
The PET plastics used in such bottles have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and similar organizations in other nations. Furthermore, DEHA is not classified as a human carcinogen and is not considered to pose any significant health risk to humans.
The hoax email originated from a University of Idaho student’s masters thesis. However, although the student’s findings were taken up by the mainstream media, the FDA did not review the thesis nor was it published in any scientific or technical journal. Furthermore, the thesis incorrectly identifies DEHA as a carcinogenic element when this is not the case. According to the American Plastics Council website the thesis “did not reflect a level of scientific rigor that would provide accurate and reliable information”.
Moreover, DEHA is not present in PET either as a raw material or as a decomposition product. Although the Idaho student detected DEHA, this was most likely due to laboratory contamination.
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The FDA and American Plastics Council also said that BPA was safe, which clearly isn’t the case. Do your own research and don’t trust either of these sources to be up to date on what is safe for you.
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The FDA approved these based on research from the companies that make them. Of course the companies that manufacture these products will claim that they are safe even when they are not. Just look at the tobacco industry.
If you really want to know the dangers of drinking out of plastics like these look here at John Kerry grilling Dr. Norris Alderson video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6451441880371093421
Within the first minute and a half Dr Anderson admits all of the products that they approve are based on studies done by the manufacturer.
Don’t be fooled these products are very dangerous over the long term and can cause birth defects, reproductive problems, and a myriad of cancers.
Mr. Cheng is incorrect about DEHA not being present in PET here is a published study showing evidence to the contrary.
http://www.sodis.ch/news_documents/deha_dehp_indien.pdf
While the study does show the levels are low enough to be considered permissible by the WHO, do you really want to trust an organization which generally relies on studies done by the same companies who are making these products in the same manner as the FDA?
Even more dangerous is BPA. Which much of the world has at leas outlawed in baby bottles (Japan outlawed it’s use completely over a decade ago). Well the U.S. isn’t one of those countries.
My advice is to avoid these products as much as you can. Filter water at home an reuse glass bottles (I know they’re not always easy to find but they will keep your beverage cooler for a longer time and they aren’t potentially toxic) never microwave food in plastics containers or reuse plastic bottles.
For an interesting look at the bottled water industry and health and environmental impacts of these plastics watch a documentary call “Tapped.”
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Hi, I would like to know what is the time period of a bottle which is numbered 5? I am using my water bottle numbered 5 past 1year.
Please let me know if any one have idea on it.
Thanks in advance.
Siva
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2 4 and 5 numbered bottles are safe to use multiple times.
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I’m using my Aqua mineral water numbered 3 past 6 months. I ‘ve called the Aqua mineral water in Nelspruit asking them abt the number they said it is just a number of the bottle. no cancer will be involved.
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Now i realized what kind of plastic i should be used. Thanks.
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