Plastics and Human HealthWhat's in that Water Bottle Anyway?People generally assume that bottled water is safer or healthier than tap water. Ounce-for-ounce bottled water generally costs at least 1,000 times more than tap water. Toxic Plastics AdditivesWe're all aware that the chasing arrows symbol on many plastics products says something about the type of plastic resin that was used. Many people don't know that most plastics are made from petroleum (oil or natural gas) and that plastics can contain a whole host of other chemicals that are never labeled and that can be toxic to animals and humans. Studies show that some toxins in plastics are building up in humans and that some of us may be experiencing serious health effects as a result.Human Exposure to PhthalatesScientists have been able to measure phthalate levels in human tissues for just a few years. Studies have shown that most Americans have phthalates in their urine and that all of us are exposed to phthalates from such ubiquitous sources as air, water and soil as well as from foods. People who undergo medical procedures are exposed to especially high levels since phthalates can leach out of plastic medical supplies. Infants have been found to have higher levels than adults.Male Reproductive Abnormalities/InfertilityStudies on phthalates as reproductive toxins in humans are few in number, correlational (since you can't manipulate human exposure to a supposed toxin) and very recent. The large number of phthalate compounds & sources of human exposure make absolute conclusions difficult. Nevertheless, the U.S. National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction Expert Panel concluded in 2000 that DEHP has the potential to produce adverse reproductive effects in humans and expressed special concern about exposure in pregnant and breast-feeding women.(11) Scientists are asking what role phthalates are playing in the decline in human sperm production over the last half century.