Bottled Water

[angel42]

Hi,

I know it sounds silly since what on earth in water can make you sick. However, every time I have bottled water I get incredibly sick almost immediately. I used to drink it constantly but now I can't drink it at all. I would ask a gastroenterologist about it but I think it would just be a waste of time since the dr would probably have the same reaction that everyone else seems to have. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there anything I can do?

[Ursa Major]

Have you tried different brands and had the same reaction with every one of them? If yes, it may be the plastic leeching into the water that makes you sick.

[CarlaB]

My husband is not gluten intolerant ... he cannot drink Evian without getting a headache.

I think some bottled waters bother some people because of filters, or minerals, or whatever. You just need to find what suits you. Maybe a water filter at home and drink out of glass.

[jerseyangel]

I can not tolerate filtered water--I'm intolerant to coconut and most filters use coconut hulls in their filters. I found this out when the filtered water from my new refrigerator began to make me sick.

I drink bottled spring water--not just any bottled water, because a lot of them are just filtered tap water.

Have you tried a spring water, such as Poland Spring, where they identify where the water actually comes from?

[Nantzie]

Dasani is another one that I've seen mentioned here as causing problems for some people, mainly people with chemical sensitivities if I remember right. If you look at the ingredients list where you'd expect to just see "water" there are several "ingredients" listed in the water. I've never liked Dasani because I always thought it had an odd taste. Go figure...

Nancy

[NoGluGirl]

Hi,

I know it sounds silly since what on earth in water can make you sick. However, every time I have bottled water I get incredibly sick almost immediately. I used to drink it constantly but now I can't drink it at all. I would ask a gastroenterologist about it but I think it would just be a waste of time since the dr would probably have the same reaction that everyone else seems to have. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there anything I can do?

Dear angel42,

There are a couple of possibilities here. One is that they use charcoal with gluten for filtering.

That is unlikely, though, due to their gluten-free status. However, there is another microscopic possibility. I heard some time ago that there is a microorganism that can make us very ill that can get through those filters because it is so small. I cannot remember its name, but it is a parasite.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[Rachel--24]

If its *all* or most bottled waters....I would suspect the plastics. Yes, chemicals from plastic do leech into bottled water....especially if it sits in the sun or something like that.

If its only certain brands...it could be something they add into the water. I cant handle Dasani water cuz of the addded minerals and I react to bottled water if its been sitting in my car or in the sun....I can taste the chemicals.

[lorka150]

I get sick from Aquafina and Dasani. I stick to Aberfoyle.

[GlutenWrangler]

I have the same problem as you do. I noticed it very early on. Certain brands would make me sick immediately. Now, the only water that I can drink is fresh Poland Spring water. If it has been sitting in the bottle for over a month, it bothers me. I actually get dehydrated when I drink "bad" water. It seems ridiculous, but I'm happy to know I'm not the only one. You should see what brand works for you. I hope you find one.

-Brian

[Juliebove]

Interesting about the Dasani. I've never been able to finish a bottle of it. Just doesn't taste right to me and I don't feel well when I drink it. AFAIK I can tolerate gluten but I have other food allergies.

[angel42]

I have the same problem as you do. I noticed it very early on. Certain brands would make me sick immediately. Now, the only water that I can drink is fresh Poland Spring water. If it has been sitting in the bottle for over a month, it bothers me. I actually get dehydrated when I drink "bad" water. It seems ridiculous, but I'm happy to know I'm not the only one. You should see what brand works for you. I hope you find one.

-Brian

I tried bottled Poland Spring water last night with the same effect. When you say "fresh" what do you mean? AFAIK I cannot tolerate any bottled water. I guess it could be the plastic but I am now drinking bottled orange juice in a plastic bottle. It's probably not that big a deal but I have noticed when I got to people houses all they seem to have is water and soda.

[RiceGuy]

I recall hearing about bottled water being chlorinated or something, as that would help cut down on bacteria and whatnot. I've no idea if that would apply to all brands, and include spring water. One would hope it'd be on the label, but these days I wouldn't take it for granted. If it's actually bottled tap water, then I'd say the chances of something having been added are quite high.

[missy'smom]

Last year(before I was gluten free) I drank alot of bottled water at work, I got to the point where I couldn't drink it anymore without getting mild stomach discomfort. I started taking glass bottles full of my Brita filtered water from home and that worked well for my stomach. But glass is so much heavier than the plastic bottles! Some people thought I was a little excentric.

[angel42]

Last year(before I was gluten free) I drank alot of bottled water at work, I got to the point where I couldn't drink it anymore without getting mild stomach discomfort. I started taking glass bottles full of my Brita filtered water from home and that worked well for my stomach. But glass is so much heavier than the plastic bottles! Some people thought I was a little excentric.

I will definitely try that. Was it glass bottles that had been filled with other things or did you buy special bottles?

[Sophiekins]

Just to throw in my two cents here. . .for a bottle for your own (filtered) water what you want is a bottle made by Nalgene. . .they sell them in Canada at Mountain Equipment Co-op (I think you can also get them online). They are made of a special kind of chemically stable plastic which is photo-stable and won't leach nasty chemicals into your liquids. They're also reusable for up to 25 years, virtually indestructible (I drove my friend's SUV over mine a couple of years ago. . .) and friendly to the environment. Just toss them in your dishwasher or fill with boiling water and soap and shake once a week to keep them smelling nice.

And, just a teeny tiny obvious question here. . .what's wrong with plain old tap water?? Unless you're drinking from an artesian well or you live in a developing nation, the tap water should be perfectly safe to drink (with or without filtering). . .and in my experience usually tastes nicer than most bottled waters (The only place in the developed world where I won't drink tap water is Venice. . .and NOBODY drinks the tap water in Venice. . .not even the dogs).

[NoGluGirl]

Just to throw in my two cents here. . .for a bottle for your own (filtered) water what you want is a bottle made by Nalgene. . .they sell them in Canada at Mountain Equipment Co-op (I think you can also get them online). They are made of a special kind of chemically stable plastic which is photo-stable and won't leach nasty chemicals into your liquids. They're also reusable for up to 25 years, virtually indestructible (I drove my friend's SUV over mine a couple of years ago. . .) and friendly to the environment. Just toss them in your dishwasher or fill with boiling water and soap and shake once a week to keep them smelling nice.

And, just a teeny tiny obvious question here. . .what's wrong with plain old tap water?? Unless you're drinking from an artesian well or you live in a developing nation, the tap water should be perfectly safe to drink (with or without filtering). . .and in my experience usually tastes nicer than most bottled waters (The only place in the developed world where I won't drink tap water is Venice. . .and NOBODY drinks the tap water in Venice. . .not even the dogs).

Dear Sophiekins,

Where I live, the water is so bad, it will make you gag when you brush your teeth! It literally tastes that bad. Sometimes it tastes like algae, other times like a swimming pool. Either way, it is too gross! Our water is so polluted they have to dump tons of chemicals in it. I have a Culligan water filter in our fridge, and it does fine. I normally drink out of ceramic coffee cups. If I go out, I use Aquafina or some other kind of plastic water bottle that has been run through the dishwasher on the top rack.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[angel42]

Just to throw in my two cents here. . .for a bottle for your own (filtered) water what you want is a bottle made by Nalgene. . .they sell them in Canada at Mountain Equipment Co-op (I think you can also get them online). They are made of a special kind of chemically stable plastic which is photo-stable and won't leach nasty chemicals into your liquids. They're also reusable for up to 25 years, virtually indestructible (I drove my friend's SUV over mine a couple of years ago. . .) and friendly to the environment. Just toss them in your dishwasher or fill with boiling water and soap and shake once a week to keep them smelling nice.

And, just a teeny tiny obvious question here. . .what's wrong with plain old tap water?? Unless you're drinking from an artesian well or you live in a developing nation, the tap water should be perfectly safe to drink (with or without filtering). . .and in my experience usually tastes nicer than most bottled waters (The only place in the developed world where I won't drink tap water is Venice. . .and NOBODY drinks the tap water in Venice. . .not even the dogs).

I am sure there are several places in the country where tap water is better. I live about 30 minutes east of Manhattan where, I assure you, the tap water is not better.

[missy'smom]

I will definitely try that. Was it glass bottles that had been filled with other things or did you buy special bottles?

I used a glass bottle that had been filled with Perrier I think. It was just what I had on hand. I washed and refilled the same one everyday.

[ArtGirl]

For what it's worth.....

Those plastic bottles that filtered/spring water arer sold in aren't meant to be reused. I read a research report about the various plastics used for water and food, and they stated that these bottles can maybe be reused a second time, but then they begin to leach chemicals into whatever is in the bottle. (and the chemicals are NOT good to be ingesting) It is especially not good to subject them to heat such as in a dishwasher as that further breaks the plastics down.

There are plastic water bottles that are for sale (just the bottle) that are made of more stable plastics and it would be better to use these for "refills". Of course, glass is best, but is heavy and subject to breaking.

[larry mac]

...every time I have bottled water I get incredibly sick almost immediately...

Angel, I wouldn't have any idea why you are getting sick, but would like to comment on the bottled water.

If I'm not mistaken (and I could be), most bottled water is supposedly filtered thru activated carbon, much like the home water filters. This removes the chlorine compounds that must by law be at a minimum level when the water reaches your house. This improves the tastes immensely. Then there is reverse osmosis, which only allows water (and any other particles up to a certain very small size) to pass thru a semi-permiable membrane. Finaly, there is ozonation, a water treatment process that destroys bacteria and other microorganisms through an infusion of ozone, a gas produced by subjecting oxygen molecules to high electrical voltages (edit/lm). All this is supposed to make the water safe.

As for reusing the bottles, this is an urban myth. You could get sick, but only because you are contaminating them with your bacteria and not washing and drying them sufficiently. Please see:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

I reuse mine, but when I get home from work, I rinse it out several times, let it dry upside down, put about an inch of filtered water in it, and then put it in the freezer. The next morning, I fill it up with cold, filtered water, put it in a cooler coozie thing, and take it to work. The ice in the bottom, and the frozen coozie keep it cold all day. Cold inhibits bacterial growth, and suppresses any undesirable odors or flavors, it tastes better.

Best regards, lm

[ArtGirl]

As for reusing the bottles, this is an urban myth.

I stand corrected. I got this information, not from an email, but from an article in a reputable health magazine. (I can't remember now the name of it - it was a borrowed magazine and at least a couple years ago.)

[larry mac]

Oh, I hope that didn't seem rude. Believe me, I've been directed to the snopes.com site a number of times. You were'nt the only one referring to that anyway. lm

I stand corrected. I got this information, not from an email, but from an article in a reputable health magazine. (I can't remember now the name of it - it was a borrowed magazine and at least a couple years ago.)

[NoGluGirl]

Oh, I hope that didn't seem rude. Believe me, I've been directed to the snopes.com site a number of times. You were'nt the only one referring to that anyway. lm

Dear larry mac,

I have run my bottles through the dishwasher and been fine. I think it depends on the person. I do know that the other you said was true about bacteria as well. People do not realize that reusing a water bottle without cleaning it and putting it in the fridge can cause them to get a cold. The germs naturally present in your mouth multiply in the bottle at room temperature, and can make you sick when you use it the next day if you have not cleaned it. It is recommended that you thoroughly clean it, then refill it, and place the bottle in the fridge so that the cold kills the germs.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[Soph]

This might sound a bit strange but when I have an allergy or intolerance to to something I eat I have severe panic attacks with it. I drink  water all the time and it's always from a bottle because tap water started to hurt my tummy but last night I had some bottled water and immediately had severe panic attacks from drinking one mouthful my panic attacks lasted all night long and all the next day although no one on here has said they have panic attacks from water hearing that other people have been unwell from water makes me feel less crazy.  also my mouth and throat are slightly irritated to and I get this when I have a reaction to something that my body doesn't like.  I just want to say thank you for the information that is on here I will try drinking From a glass bottle from now

[Ennis-TX]

1 hour ago, Soph said:

This might sound a bit strange but when I have an allergy or intolerance to to something I eat I have severe panic attacks with it. I drink  water all the time and it's always from a bottle because tap water started to hurt my tummy but last night I had some bottled water and immediately had severe panic attacks from drinking one mouthful my panic attacks lasted all night long and all the next day although no one on here has said they have panic attacks from water hearing that other people have been unwell from water makes me feel less crazy.  also my mouth and throat are slightly irritated to and I get this when I have a reaction to something that my body doesn't like.  I just want to say thank you for the information that is on here I will try drinking From a glass bottle from now

Old post but none the less, few odd points, I have gotten glutened by grabbing a bottle of sparking mineral water that a family member had drank out of after eating something with gluten in it. Have to be careful with opened ones, Also some flavored waters might have something you could react to, same with ones with added minerals or vitamins. This last ones has happened to me as I get panic attacks from aspartame or acesulfame potassium and I can think of a few times I tried a flavored mineral water without checking ingredients.  Unsure about it but skimmed the topic and others have mentioned bottles growing bacteria in them after opening and drinking then letting it set for extended amounts of time, I can see this perhaps happening and making someone sick.

I personally have never been able to drink plain water, if it is not flavored, I just keep drinking and it never satisfies me and I drink til I get sick. Sorta why I use water flavor, and drink mostly hot tea and coffee. Odd quirk I seem to have had since childhood.