Why You Should Not Believe Myths About PET and Let Science Do the Talking
“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend”, goes a popular saying. Terse as it is, there’s a lot of truth in this maxim. We all live with many (cognitive)biases in our minds. Truth is that we like to believe facts that reiterate our preconceived conclusions, rather than challenge them. It’s just more comforting for us.
Nowhere does this hold truer, than when it comes to misconceptions about PET plastics. Today, there is a lot of misinformation on plastics, especially PET plastics.I am certain that you have read about the hazards of using plastics. No doubt you would also have received some, endorsed-by-scientists, kind of videos on the dangers of keeping food in plastics. If you have allowed these narratives to convince you that PET plastic isharmful, even in light offacts and evidences to the contrary, then you have fallen for, what is commonly called,the confirmation bias.
The scientific truth is that PET is an inert plastic, and does not leach harmful materials into its contents, either when beverage (or food) is stored unopened, or when the containers or bottles are refilled or frozen. It is known for its clarity, making it a lightweight, non-breakable alternative to glass and other plastics. The material has been thoroughly reviewed and approved as safe for direct contact with foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals by the WHO, USFDA, Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority and other health-safety agencies. What’s more is that all the tests have been validated under Indian conditions as per BIS standard. PET containers have been safely used by consumers around the world for more than 35 years without any known adverse effects. Extensive testing of PET and PET packaging has repeatedly shown it to be safe. That is the simple, irrefutable truth, based on science and facts.
However, despite the above being true, PET gets a bad rap, because there is lack of knowledge and understanding on its chemistry and composition, and because it gets clubbed with all kinds of plastic which may not be made of the same material. A recent article I read in a popular daily is a case in point. The writeup spoke of the possibility of pregnant women drinking from plastic bottles having obese children. It carried an image of a mother-to-be with a packaged water bottle made from PET, though the article referred to the material as Polycarbonate. This is exactly the kind of story that leads to misconceptions about PET – because while the article did not make any direct reference to PET bottles, it showed one in the hand of the woman – hence giving the reader the impression that PET is not safe (Polycarbonate plastic and PET plastic have a completely different chemistry).
Another common misconception falsely attributed to PET is that it is made of toxic chemicals – like Bisphonol A, or BPA. Again, there is no truth in this theory, though it manages to find its way into people’s inboxes and What’s App messages, which only serve to reaffirm biases in the minds of the consumers. But, the reality is that BPA is not used in the production of PET material, nor is it used as a chemical building block for any of the materials used in the manufacture of PET. This is a fact, which can be corroborated by any test result carried out on PET. And, while on the topic of toxins, let me also add that no Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, or EDCs are not used, nor are generated by PET.
You may have also heard other unpronounceable (albeit intimidating) sounding names associated with PET, like -Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Let me assure you, that you need not worry about what this is, since it is never used to makePET bottles. I should add here that countries like the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, where regulation and safety standards are stricter than anywhere in the world, regularly use PET bottles for packing medical products (such as liquid medicines, syrups, suspensions etc), wines, drinking water and aerated soft drinks. This face alone should be evidence enough that PET is completely safe.
So, you could ask, that if the above is true, then why do misconceptions about PET exist? The answer to this question would take me back to the beginning of this article – to the fact that we live cognitive biases, which can be deep rooted and hard to dislodge.Like I said earlier, views on PET plastic tend to get coloured due to misinformation, and conclusions about its safety get drawn without much knowledge on its chemistry.
It is important, however, to separate fact from fiction, especially when a country like India requires cost-effective, hygienic and environmentally friendly packaging material like PET to meet the demand of packaged beverage and food products.
Think about water for a minute. In India, access to clean water can be a challenge for many. PET bottles are strong, safe, lightweight and shatterproof and make it possible for clean water to reach people in far corners of the country. And this is only one example of how PET is anirreplaceable part of our lives today. Our food, beverages and medicines, all are packaged using PET plastic.
I will add a little more here about PET’s environmental-friendly virtues (which are, again, misunderstood and misrepresented). You may be surprised to know that PET is a remarkably energy-efficient packaging material, with an environmental impact that compares very favorably to glass, aluminum and other container materials. Although PET's feedstocks are derived from crude oil and natural gas, approximately 40% of that energy is trapped within the PET polymer for recapture and reuse every time PET is recycled. Also, think about portability for a moment. The fact that PET is very strong yet lightweight allows more products to be delivered with less packaging and less weight, thereby making it far more fuel efficient in terms of transport (more bottles can be carried in lesser vehicles - it’s simple math really). These factors help explain why life-cycle studies of PET have consistently shown it to be a highly sustainable material with a positive environmental profile.Like I said, there’s a logic to it, if you follow the right narrative.
Last, but not the least, I must add here that the reason PET needs to be understood and accepted better is because of its recyclable qualities. PET is 100% recyclable, which makes it extremely unique (giving it a recycle code of 1) and environment-friendly. This is also the reason why PET bottles and containers do not end up in landfills – they can be repeatedly recycled to be made into a range of products – from textiles, clothes, shoes, fillings etc.
Biases often get in our way of making informed decisions. What is important that we look at facts before we reach conclusions. As Aldous Huxley said, “facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored.”The next time you drink from a PET bottle, remember chemistry has the right answers. The rest is just myth.
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