Unair Research: Reusable Gallon Water Does Not Trigger Hormonal Disorders or Cancer
Research from the Environmental Health Department of the Faculty of Public Health at Universitas Airlangga (Unair) has analysed the relationship between the consumption of bottled drinking water from reusable polycarbonate (PC) gallons and various health complaints. The study examined public consumption patterns, Bisphenol A (BPA) content in the 10 most widely consumed bottled water brands, and their correlation with health issues reported by respondents. The results found no association between consuming water from reusable PC gallons and hormonal disorders, reproductive problems, or cancer risk.
The research indicated that the risk of hormonal disruption from BPA found in all drinking water samples was low. This is because the detected BPA remained below the safe threshold set by the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) limit established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). All bottled water samples tested contained BPA at levels far below the safe limit. The highest recorded BPA concentration was 0.099 μg/L, while the lowest was 0.080 μg/L, well under BPOM’s safe limit of 0.6 mg/kg.
Health risk analysis also showed that all brands studied fell within the safe category. Non-carcinogenic risk, carcinogenic risk, and estrogenic activity evaluation (EEQ) results were all within safe limits. Based on these findings, the public need not worry or panic about using polycarbonate gallons, as the water inside is demonstrably and scientifically safe. However, consumers are advised to be mindful and wiser in storing and handling PC gallons to further minimise potential migration.
Regarding BPA migration, internal medicine specialist Laurentius Aswin Pramono explained that BPA is expelled from the body if consumed. He noted that the body possesses a highly sophisticated mechanism for removing harmful substances that enter accidentally. The body detoxifies or breaks down BPA particles through the liver before excreting them via urine and sweat. This detoxification process prevents BPA exposure from accumulating in the body, thus averting health disturbances. ‘In various studies on BPA, the likelihood of unintentionally consumed chemical exposure reaching levels that disrupt health is very small,’ he said. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated that all ingested BPA can be excreted naturally from the body, a conclusion reached by a panel of 30 experts from Canada, Europe, and the United States.