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Jun 19, 2023

Exposed to extreme heat, plastic bottles may ultimately become unsafe

Millions of people along the East Coast and in the Midwestern United States are

Millions of people along the East Coast and in the Midwestern United States are under a heat watch this weekend as a massive heat wave bears down. This scorching July weekend follows what NOAA recently reported was the hottest June on record.

But before you reach for a plastic water bottle to keep hydrated, you might think twice about whether it too has been wilting under a hot sun.

"The hotter it gets, the more the stuff in plastic can move into food or drinking water," says Rolf Halden, director of the Center for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute.

Most plastic items release a tiny amount of chemicals into the beverages or food they contain. As temperature and