Drinking from plastic water bottles can give you cancer because of the chemicals in the plastic

Question

This claim has been shared widely in social media posts and online articles, suggesting that plastic bottles leach dangerous chemicals like BPA into the water, which can then cause cancer. One viral post stated: “Every time you drink from a plastic bottle, you’re ingesting cancer-causing toxins.”

Answer 1

Strangely, it appears that the ACS moved or deleted the linked article, but we can still investigate the claim. 
As far as I can tell, there are two main concerns about plastics in water bottles: the kind of plastic used and the size of particles it can break down into. 

Though an article published by the NIH states that, on average, a liter of bottled water included about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic, and that about 90% of these plastic fragments were nanoplastics (<1 μm in size), they noted that "the potential health effects of these tiny plastic bits are still unproven and unknown". 

However, a particular plastic called bisphenol A (BPA) was identified in this article by the BBC as a potential concern, though it concludes that "At present, there is no strong, conclusive evidence that at the everyday concentrations we may be exposed to, BPA can cause harm." Statements by regulatory bodies like the FDA and EPA also support this. 

This is countered by another study published by a group of researchers from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka, India that suggested that BPA exposure—even at low doses—is linked to serious health risks including hormonal disruption, increased risk of several cancers (like breast, prostate, and ovarian), interference with cancer treatment, and epigenetic changes that may promote tumor development. 

In conclusion, the claim "drinking water from plastic bottles gives you cancer" is too broad to make and needs context. While it's true that BPA (a plastic linked to cancer risk at low doses) may be harmful, it is not used in all water bottles and is typically not found in disposable water bottles, which are usually made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Further, the FDA and EPA maintain that current exposure levels are below any level of concern. 

Comments

This is a nice well rounded answer but there is even more to unpack here. Manufacturers also have BPA substitutes which are potentially more harmful than BPA itself, BPS and BPF. The long term effects are inconclusive and more study needs to be performed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25775505/

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Thanks, this is some nice additional context!

Answer 2

This claim is not true. According to Cancer Council, "It’s safe to drink water out of plastic bottles without a risk of cancer even when the bottle has been left in hot cars, frozen or reused. There is no scientific evidence to dispute this." A common concern involves a chemical called BPA (bisphenol A), which was once used in some plastics. However, it has been confirmed from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that there is no harm in drinking water from plastic bottles.

Comments

While there seems to be apparently no studies that show a direct link between water bottle usage and cancer, a lot more studies need to be performed on indirect links between for example microplastics and inflammation and the potential impact of bioaccumulated plastics and their decay in our bodies over time. Here is a science paper that talks about how difficult it is to even detect the microplastics let alone track their decay over time and the chemicals released from that decay and the potential health effects. So this is ultimately inconclusive, not false nor true. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2300582121  There is however statistical risk and more usage of lower quality plastic bottles increases risk.

Answer 3

The original article on cancer.org has been removed and/or the link is dead. However there are many other articles with similar claims tying plastic bottle usage to cancer. Here is another similar article. https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/exposure-to-chemicals-in-plastic

This one appears to be more balanced and nuanced approach to the claim by detailing some of the differences in plastics and educating readers on how to identify these differences, with the conclusion that yes plastic bottles may leach chemicals that may be harmful to health in a way that may exacerbate or cause cancer ...but it greatly depends on the type of plastic, the quality of the plastic and the context of how it is used/misused.

Answer 4

This claim is false, I used Cancer Counsel as my source. 

Cancer counsel claims that drinking water from a plastic bottle is safe, even if its been frozen, reused, or heated. The most mentioned substance is BPA(bisphenol A), which is a chemical used in some plastics. It has been confirmed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand that BPA and similar materials used for drink and food containers are safe at current exposure levels. if bottles are not cleaned properly, bacteria or fungi can develop. to stay safe, wash bottles in HOT soapy water. https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/does-drinking-water-from-plastic-drink-bottles-cause-cancer

Answer 5

This claim that drinking out of plastic water bottles is false. This claim is mostly from people online listening to anyone but the government and science backed articles. 

According to Cancer Research UK, plastic water bottles do not cause cancer. "the chemical bisphenol A (‘BPA’), which is used to make some plastics", "But the amount of BPA that can get into food and drink is too small to cause harm. Our bodies break down most of the BPA within a short time and get rid of it in our pee.". So according to an actual cancer research backed article, there is no correlation between drinking out of a plastic water bottle and getting cancer. (https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths-questions/does-using-plastic-bottles-and-containers-cause-cancer)

According to another science based source, the Cancer Council, also talks about how BPA is a safe chemical and won't cause cancer. (https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/does-drinking-water-from-plastic-drink-bottles-cause-cancer). 

When looking for a brief second, I found a multitude of articles that are science based, that state that plastic water bottles have no correlation to getting cancer. So this claim is merely a hoax spread across the internet. 

Answer 6

This claim is false. According to the Cancer Research UK, food and drink that is stored in plastic bottles and containers doesn't cause cancer. They do note that small amounts of chemicals can get into food and drink from this packaging, but it is at low levels that are not considered harmful to us.

Secondly, Cancer Council states that there is no scientific evidence to prove that drinking water out of plastic bottles causes or even risks cancer. They also note that they can grow bacteria if left for a long time, so to use them wisely.

Cancer Research UK is the world's largest independent cancer research charity and they fund scientific studies, clinical trials, and public health initiatives that focus on cancer prevention, etc. Cancer Council is a nonprofit organization that is Australia's leading cancer charity and their mission is to reduce the impact of cancer through research, etc.

Cancer Research UK - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths-questions/does-using-plastic-bottles-and-containers-cause-cancer

Cancer Council - https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/does-drinking-water-from-plastic-drink-bottles-cause-cancer

Answer 7

This claim, stating that drinking water from plastic water bottles can give you cancer, is false. This has been talked about for years, but according to Cancer Council, there is no scientific evidence to back this claim. There have also been claims that if you leave a bottle in a hot car or let it freeze, it is unsafe to drink. However, this is also untrue. “Materials used in water bottles and other food containers, such as BPA (bisphenol), are safe.” 

https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/does-drinking-water-from-plastic-drink-bottles-cause-cancer

In an article by Cancer Research UK, they note that there is a chance for small amounts of chemicals to get in your food or drinks from the plastic packaging, but with such low levels, there is no threat or harm to our bodies. They also talk about the “threat” of leaving a plastic bottle in your car on a hot day, but confirm that there is no real harm in drinking from them. 

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths-questions/does-using-plastic-bottles-and-containers-cause-cancer#references0

Answer 8

This claim is false. According to the Cancer Council it is safe to drink water out of plastic water bottles without a risk of cancer. There is no strong scientific evidence to support that plastic water bottles cause cancer, meaning that much is still unkown and no claim can be factually verified yet. The original email claiming that plastic water bottles cause cancer was falsely cited with credible institutions such as John Hopkins leading many to believe it without question. Verywell health published an article helping debunk this widely spread myth by asserting that the FDA has issued a statement denying claims that substances in plastics can leach onto food or the water it holds. Therefore plastic water bottles are safe to use and are not directly linked to cancer development.

sources:

https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/does-drinking-water-from-plastic-drink-bottles-cause-cancer

https://www.verywellhealth.com/freezing-plastic-water-bottles-513629