Is the unopened mineral water in the trunk of the car still drinkable after being exposed to high temperatures?

There are rumors that high temperatures and exposure to the sun will cause toxic plasticizers and other substances in mineral water bottles to dissolve into the water.

Drinking such water is not only harmful to your health, but may even pose a risk of cancer.

So, can we still drink the water after it has been exposed to the sun?

In response to this concern, we tested the bottles and the water we drank.

1. Plasticizer Risks We selected three time periods to test the temperature inside the car.

The results showed that the temperature inside the car was the highest at 3 pm, reaching 60℃.

At this time, the mineral water in the car had reached 46.4℃ and was a bit hot to the touch.

Some friends are worried that such high temperatures will cause the plasticizers in the plastic bottles to dissolve.

Actually, there is no need to worry at all.

You can look at the bottom of the mineral water bottle in your hand.

There is usually a triangle symbol with the number "1" and the word "PET" inside.

Dad's real test pictures

This means the material of the plastic bottle is PET.

Plastic bottles made of PET do not require the use of plasticizers such as phthalates during the production process.

Moreover, the chemical properties of its materials are relatively stable and generally no chemical changes occur. The so-called "carcinogens" will only dissolve above 70°C.

Even during the hottest time of summer, the temperature of the car windshield will generally not exceed 70℃, so you can rest assured.

The Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau has previously organized safety risk monitoring of beverage bottles under high temperature conditions.

The results show that there is no risk of releasing plasticizers from PET beverage bottles.

2. Hygienic conditions: Although the bottle will not dissolve any harmful substances, many people are still worried that water exposed to the sun + overnight may breed bacteria.

We conducted a small survey in the company and found that many people are unwilling to drink water that has been opened overnight.

To address this situation, we bought two brands of mineral water.

Drink 2/3 of the water, shake it thoroughly, and place the remaining water in the car in the sun for 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours and 48 hours.

And sent to the laboratory for testing of microbial content.

The results are as follows:

According to the test results, even for bottled water that has been drunk, there is no obvious change in the total number of colonies after being left in the car for two days.

You can still drink it with confidence.

Bottled water is sterilized before bottling, and water itself does not contain many nutrients, resulting in relatively few beneficial/harmful bacteria in bottled water.

Bottled water preparation process

In addition, there may be two types of bacteria in the water:

Room temperature saprophytes in water sources and natural environments (optimum growth temperature 20-25°C)

Thermogenic parasites in humans and the environment (optimal growth temperature 37°C)

The water temperature is high after exposure to the sun, and can even reach 46.4°C at three o'clock in the afternoon, which is not suitable for the growth of microorganisms.

In addition, the ultraviolet rays in sunlight also have a certain bactericidal effect, which makes it difficult for microorganisms in mineral water to grow.

So you really don’t have to worry about drinking mineral water that has been left overnight being unhygienic.

3. Where does the strange smell in mineral water come from? Although test data show that there is no health or hygiene problem with mineral water exposed to the sun, many people still think it does have a strange smell.

We also selected two brands of mineral water bottles and tested their volatile organic compounds using headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS).

The results show:

No volatile organic compounds were detected in either sample.

The only volatile component is air, and no other volatile components are detected.

That is to say, the source of odor may be volatile substances at lower concentrations.

However, the concentration is so low that there is no need to worry too much.

We are also trying to contact laboratories with more precise testing equipment to find out the source of the odor.

If you have any reliable channels, please leave a message or send us a private message:)

In addition, we also checked some information and found some possible sources of the odor.

1. Packaging materials

Antimony oxide is a catalyst used in the production and processing of PET materials.

After long-term exposure to high temperatures, the antimony in the mineral water bottle will dissolve into the water, irritating the skin and throat and making people feel a strange taste.

In addition, PET material will release acetaldehyde under long-term high temperature conditions. Acetaldehyde is non-toxic, but it has a special smell, and even a small amount will affect the taste.

The Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce conducted an experiment and found that the release of acetaldehyde from mineral water bottles increased significantly under high temperature conditions.

But you can rest assured that these dissolved substances in regular brand mineral water are within the limit range of relevant standards for food contact materials.

Most of them will only affect the taste of mineral water and will not cause harm to human health.

2. Fishy smell

If mineral water is not handled properly during the processing, it may also introduce unpleasant odors.

For example, when the ozone in mineral water is not completely decomposed, it will cause the water to smell fishy.

In addition, incomplete cleaning and disinfection of processing equipment such as pipes, filters, and water storage tanks may also cause bottled water to have an odor.

3. Foreign odor

In addition, PET material is semi-permeable.

Even if the bottle mouth is well sealed, foreign odors can easily contaminate the product and cause unpleasant odors in the water.

3. Saliva taste

Some friends also feel that mineral water tastes like "saliva".

Hey, this may be because... you have bad breath problem

If this happens to you, don’t worry about the mineral water issue anymore, just brush your teeth diligently.

If necessary, you can also arrange a teeth cleaning for yourself.

Finally, let me summarize for you:

1. Most mineral water bottles are made of PET, which does not contain plasticizers and will not dissolve harmful substances even when exposed to the sun, so there is no need to worry.

2. The number of microorganisms in the mineral water you drink meets the standard within 2 days and you can drink it safely.

3. The volatile substances in plastic bottles were detected by headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. No volatile substances were detected. The source of the plastic smell may be trace amounts of small molecules.

4. Some mineral water may have an odor after being exposed to high temperatures, but it is harmless. If you mind, you can drink it on the same day and try not to expose it to the sun repeatedly or use mineral water bottles to avoid it.

So are you worried whether you can still drink mineral water after being exposed to the sun?

As long as you don't mind drinking warm water in the summer, you can drink it with confidence.