Water bottlers vs bottle-makers : Toxic bottle Plastics alarm
Compulsory SLS certification for bottle materials :
by Rukshana Rizwie
The Government last week imposed tight quality controls on water
bottle plastics but two industries - water bottlers and bottle-makers -
seem to be tossing the blame between each other over the use of
carcinogenic and fertility damaging plastics.
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The money
equation
Plastic bottles are ubiquitous, but the cost of producing
them varies, depending on the differences in the raw-material
cost. The main type of plastic used, polyethylene terephthalate
(PET), is made from naphtha, an oil derivative, which can be
partly substituted with ethane, a natural-gas derivative. Very
little ethane is traded internationally, so that only the areas
where natural gas is cheap and are abundant, use it to make PET.
Because of its shale-gas boom, they now include America as well
as the Middle East. Europe and Asia rely only on expensive
naphtha. In these places the higher cost of fuel and electricity
also push up the production cost of plastic bottles. (economist.com)
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Last week, all bottled water companies were mandated by the law to
ensure that the bottles bear the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLS)
certification of the plastic used for the bottles. The regulatory move
was meant to clamp down on unscrupulous traders using substandard
plastic bottles. However, when the Sunday Observer combed the market
many companies were yet to obtain the certification.
"We have asked for a grace period, so the polymer manufacturers from
whom we purchase the bottles will be able to acquire the certification
and incorporate the logo," said Anura Kumarasinghe, President of the
Asia and Middle East Bottled Water Association. "It is not the companies
that need to fall in line but the bottle manufacturers; we are being
penalized for their standards."
Last month, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) under the direction
of Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen announced that it
would strictly enforce the SLS standards from September 1.
"Low quality PET bottles affect the quality of water in the bottles,"
Minister Bathiudeen said. "The CAA detected a number of brands using
substandard Polymer/ Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles. In 2014
and 2015, the CAA detected 26 brands with questionable bottle quality."
The SLS requirement was gazetted in 2015 through Gazette
Extraordinary No. 1918/18 dated June 11, 2015, but has not been enforced
until now. According to the gazette notice, all producers and
distributors of bottled water will not be allowed to sell, store or
display drinking water in bottles that do not bear the SLS
certification.
Kumarasinghe, who is also the President of the Sri Lanka Water Bottle
Association and Chairman of American Premium Water Systems told the
Sunday Observer, that only a few polymer manufacturers had obtained the
SLS certification as of this week.
"We have written to the CAA on behalf of the manufactures, asking for
time. We held discussions and have reached an understanding, as the
process requires some time,"he said.
Director Consumer Affairs and Information at the CAA, Chandrika
Thilakaratne told the Sunday Observer that so far only six companies had
obtained the SLS certification. "We held a meeting with SLS officials
and were informed that many had applied and were awaiting
certification."
But, she said, the law was in place and the CAA would conduct
sporadic raids to check if the companies have complied. "Once the
gazette notice is issued, it is legally binding. Informally, we cannot
give grace periods. All manufacturers of bottled water have to comply
with the law,"she said.
Kumarasinghe, on the other hand was concerned about the bottled water
available in the market, at present, and said, it would not be possible
to take them off the shelves as they were manufactured prior to this
date. "Our concern is over the 19 litre container, which is a
polycarbonate PET bottle that has been recycled over 50 times. We've
asked for it to be exempted as there are many in circulation and it
would not be pragmatic to label them all now," he opined.
Over the years, studies have shown that the plastic material used in
bottled water made out of small molecules or monomers, together with
their additives, can migrate into the fluids during packaging,
manufacturing or storage. Plastic bottles contain chemicals which
interfere with the hormones in the body - this includes bisphenol-A (BPA)
and phthalates among others. Both these chemicals, if absorbed in to the
body in any form, potentially cause various cancers and damage human
fertility, among other dangerous side effects.
Different types of plastic are indicated by the number in the
triangle of arrows at the bottom of the bottle. Bottlers generally use
the type of plastic labelled '1', identified by the letters PET or PETE.
An official from the product certification department of the Sri
Lanka Standards Institution told the Sunday Observer, it is now
compulsory for water bottle manufacturers and distributors to ensure
that the SLS mark is denoted on the label. "At first, it was an optional
marking scheme, which only a few manufacturers chose to follow," he
said. "It is unhealthy for consumers to consume water from such
substandard bottles."
The senior officer said, during the last few weeks and months,
several manufactures had applied for the certification and a few
received it. "The certification pertains to the quality of the plastic
and not the water, which is certified by the Health Ministry."
The official pointed out that since the Gazette notification was
issued a year ago, both manufacturers and companies had ample time to
apply for the certification before September 1 this year.
This year alone, SLS has conducted two training programs on quality
assurance practices for the manufacturing of bottled water, with one
more program due in October. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution
observed, that the sale of bottled water has increased exponentially, in
the country, as a result of public perception on the purity of water
driven by advertisements and promotions.
According to the law, it is mandatory to obtain one of two
registrations, namely, 'bottled drinking water' or 'bottled natural
mineral water' issued by the Ministry of Health, in order to manufacture
and market the product .
The SLSI also provides an additional independent certification
scheme, now mandatory, for the two definitions of bottled water, namely,
SLS 894 for 'bottled drinking water' and SLS 1038 for 'bottled natural
mineral water'.
The official said, the Health Ministry works closely with the SLSI
and has nominated the SLSI to carry out all audits and analyses (micro
biological and chemical) of the source of water and the finished
product, prior to the registration being issued to an applicant.
Type of chemicals present in bottled water
BPA – Bisphenol A or BPA is an estrogen-mimicking
chemical linked to a host of serious health problems including:
Learning and behavioural problems
Altered immune system function
Early puberty in girls and fertility problems
Decreased sperm count
Prostate and breast cancer
Diabetes and obesity
If you are pregnant or nursing, your child is also at risk. If you
are feeding your baby or toddler from a plastic bottle, switch to glass
to avoid BPA contamination.
Phthalates - Phthalates are widely used in the United States to make
plastics such as, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible. Phthalates are
endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to a wide range of developmental
and reproductive effects, including:
Reduced sperm counts
Testicular atrophy or structural abnormality
Liver cancer (Mercola.com) |