Daily Clerks

William Shotyk, a Canadian scientist working at the University of Heidelberg, studied 132 brands of bottled water stored for six months, and found significant levels of the toxic metal antimony had leached out of the PET bottles into the water. Levels approached 2,000 parts per trillion, which is the Japanese limit for drinking water. (in Canada it’s 6000) “It’s increasing over time because (the plastic) is leaching chemicals,” said Shotyk in an interview during a recent visit to Ottawa, where he lectured on his findings.Antimony, beloved of alchemists, is a white metallic element that in small doses can cause nausea, dizziness and depression. “Antimony is similar chemically to lead. It is also a potentially toxic trace element,” said Shotyk. He is now studying the bottles over a longer term. “If you bottle water in Europe and ship it to Asia, what is the antimony concentration in that water by the time somebody buys that water and drinks it?” ::Edmonton Sun

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