Is Polyethylene Terephthalate safe when eaten by a child?

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers may leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates (if added to the plastic) and antimony, into their contents, which can affect children's growth, pubertal development, and metabolism.

Why here

Children are exposed to these leached chemicals through the ingestion of food and beverages from PET packaging, and their developing endocrine systems are particularly vulnerable to disruption.

What would have to be true

Ingestion of food and beverages from PET containers, especially when stored at varying temperatures, leading to exposure to leached phthalates (if present as additives) and antimony, which are linked to adverse outcomes like decreased anogenital distance in male infants, decreased sex hormones, and reproductive system issues.

The other side

The plastics industry generally asserts that PET bottles are not a source of endocrine disruptors, and PET plastic is approved as safe for food and beverage contact by regulatory agencies like the FDA.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics can leach antimony, a toxic heavy metal, into beverages, with young children potentially exposed to almost three times more antimony per bodyweight than adults due to their consumption patterns and hand-to-mouth behaviors.

Why here

PET is widely used in beverage bottles and food packaging, leading to direct ingestion of leached antimony by children from drinks and foods.

What would have to be true

Ingestion of beverages or foods stored in PET containers, especially when exposed to heat, light, or stored for long periods, leading to antimony concentrations that can cause liver damage, organ toxicity, heart disease, and cancer with chronic exposure.

The other side

The FDA and similar regulatory agencies worldwide have approved PET plastic as safe for food and beverage contact for over 30 years, with migration levels of substances from plastics into food considered well within safety margins.

Children, especially those under six, are particularly vulnerable to ingesting polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics and nanoplastics from various sources like indoor dust, food, water, baby bottles, toys, and clothing, with infants ingesting significantly more per day than adults.

Why here

Children's frequent hand-to-mouth activities, crawling on floors, and use of plastic products (bottles, toys, clothing) increase their exposure and ingestion of microplastics.

What would have to be true

Daily ingestion of PET microplastics from indoor dust (estimated 120,000 ng/kg/day in infants) and diet (estimated 83,000 ng/kg/day in one-year-old infants), which can lead to inflammation, respiratory infections, and potential long-term risks like heart disease and cancer.

The other side

The FDA states that current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health.

Antimony, used as a catalyst in PET production, can leach into drinking water from PET bottles, with concentrations potentially exceeding regulatory limits under conditions of high temperature and prolonged storage.

Why here

PET bottles are widely used for drinking water, and antimony is a component of the plastic itself.

What would have to be true

Drinking water stored in PET bottles exposed to high temperatures (e.g., 60-85°C) for extended periods (days to weeks). For example, at 60°C, antimony levels can exceed the 6 ppb MCL in 38 days, and at 80°C, in 2.3 days. European legislation requires manufacturers to prove that more than 5 µg/L of antimony does not migrate under foreseeable conditions.

Studies suggest that PET bottles may leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates and other estrogenic compounds, into drinking water, particularly with prolonged storage and exposure to elevated temperatures.

Why here

PET is the primary material for many drinking water bottles, and chemicals from the plastic or its additives can migrate into the water.

What would have to be true

Drinking water from PET bottles, especially those stored for extended periods or exposed to high temperatures. One study found phthalate concentrations "more than 12 times higher in PET than in glass bottled water.".

The other side

The plastics industry asserts that PET bottles do not contain or leach phthalates or BPA, and regulatory agencies like the FDA approve PET as safe for food and beverage contact. Some studies also conclude that phthalate exposure from PET-bottled water is negligible and not a health concern, even under warm conditions.

Microplastic and nanoplastic particles, including PET, are commonly detected in bottled drinking water, originating from the bottle material itself during manufacturing, filling, capping, and especially with reuse or exposure to heat.

Why here

PET bottles are a direct source of plastic particles that can leach into the water they contain.

What would have to be true

Drinking water from PET bottles. One study found an average of 240,000 plastic fragments per liter of bottled water, with 90% being nanoplastics.

The other side

Current scientific evidence has not established that the levels of microplastics and nanoplastics detected in food and beverages pose a risk to human health, and regulatory bodies like the FDA have reached similar conclusions.