Does Freezing Plastic Containers Release Cancer-Causing Dioxin?

Dioxins are a group of highly toxic substances that are known to cause cancer. However, there is no evidence that plastic water bottles contain dioxins and there seems to be no reason why they would.

Freezing water does not cause the release of chemicals from plastic bottles. In general, it is best to follow the manufacturer's recommendations when using any plastic products. When cooking with plastics, only use those plastic containers, wraps, bags and utensils for their intended purposes.

First, people should be more concerned about the quality of the water they are drinking rather than the container it's coming from. Many people do not feel comfortable drinking tap water, so they buy bottled water instead. The truth is that city water is much more highly regulated and monitored for quality. Bottled water is not. It can legally contain many things we would not tolerate in municipal drinking water.

Disposable water bottles are generally made of a plastic known as PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Recycling codes, usually a raised mark on the bottom of the plastic item, help to identify different plastics from each other and make recycling more efficient.

Table 1. Plastic Packaging Resins for PET

People should be aware that re-using disposable plastic water bottles can be harmful if they are not cleaned and dried properly or if they are left in warm areas because this can allow harmful germs to grow. These germs can make people sick if ingested, causing vomiting or diarrhea. This is true with other types of containers, not just disposable water bottles. However, there is no evidence that re-using disposable plastic water bottles can cause cancer.

References
http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/halden_dioxins2.html
http://www.jhsph.edu/dioxins
Table retrieved from,

Back