Posted By Rob The Health Protection Agency North West sent out a Bulletin in December 2003 regarding this issue following an internal e mail from someone who read an article on the internet. Their response was as follows: 'The internet information concerned the common practice of re-using plastic water bottles, in particular mineral water bottles. The internet information stated that repeated use, washing and rinsing of such bottles causes the plastic (a plastic they called polythene terephthalate or 'PET') to break down. It was stated that PET contained a potentially carcinogenic substance called di-ethylhydroxylamine or DEHA and this 'leached out' into the refilled contents. It stated that these bottles were really only single use but if kept and reused should only be kept for a maximum of one week. The GMHPU duty officer who took the enquiry sought expert advice from the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division and the Food Standards Agency. The Food Standards Agency identified that DEHA was not an abbreviation for di-ethylhydroxylamine but for a legally permitted EU approved plasticier called di-(2 ethylhexyl)adipate - so the internet information was factually incorrect. In addition, they advised that generally food bottles and containers are designed and tested to demonstrate that they can be safely used for one use - the assumption being that they will be discarded when empty. However, their opinion was that as long as the condition of the plastic had not deteriorated and it could be cleaned effectively, it would be safe to reuse.

Posted By Paul Leadbetter Martin The big bottles don't look like PET to me though I stand to be corrected. Paul

Posted By Nigel Hammond Thanks for clearing this up. This forum and the people who use it are fantastic. I can sleep at night now without sending a memo to all staff warning them about deadly bottles!