BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Many people have been told at one point or another that it is a good idea to keep a supply of water in your car in case of emergencies.
Most of the time, that water comes in a plastic bottle.
But could there be a risk of illness lurking?
Nathan Galinsky, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering with WVU Tech, said yes.
“They make it using a metal called antimony. And it sometimes gets leeched into the water when it’s at high temperatures like that, and that can cause things like dizziness, and at large amounts it can cause death. But in the small amounts that are in a plastic bottle, you can cause dizziness, it may cause nausea and things like that,” said Galinsky.
Galinsky said to avoid this risk, keep your plastic water bottles out of direct sunlight.
He suggested keeping one or two in either your dashboard or center console, or if you have a case of water, keep it in your trunk.
He said if any of the bottles show damage, or a part that is thinner than the rest of the bottle, do not consume the water in that bottle.
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