Illinois, Stop Leaving Water Bottles In Your Hot Car Immediately

If you're sitting at a stop light in Illinois reading this, look at the floor or cupholders of your car. Do you see a ton of water bottles that are half-drank? Those need to go in the trash immediately before you're tempted to drink the fluid in them.

Not only could the water in that clear water bottle be filling up with chemicals but it could destroy your car quicker than you think. That's right, a water bottle or any clear plastic bottle could be the death of you, literally. In a world where Stanley cups, Gatorade bottles, and other multi-use drinkware are popular, no one really should have plastic bottles in their car. It's ok if you do, but they should go right into the recycling as soon as they are empty.

If you don't get rid of those plastic bottles, it could give you a very serious illness, catch your car on fire, or even get you into a serious accident.

Never Drink Water Out Of A Plastic Bottle Left In A Hot Car

Who likes warm water? Also, you have to have a strong feeling that taking a swig out of that bottle isn't going to make any part of you feel good. On my way into work Friday morning, I took a drink out of an unopened water bottle that's been in my car for weeks.

It tasted fine, but then I thought about all of the chemicals that had been leaking into it. Turns out I was right. When exposed to heat, the chemical bonds in plastic can break and cause BPA and other chemicals to migrate into the water according to a 2014 study.

BPA exposure can cause Type 2 diabetes, hormonal disruption, and even breast and prostate cancer. Open water bottles in the heat could also promote bacterial growth. If you drink that you could get really sick really fast.

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Water Bottles Could Set Your Car On Fire

It sounds like an oxymoron but it's not. Think about water and plastic. A little bit of water left in a clear plastic water bottle on the seat or floor of your car mixed with direct sunlight could act as a magnifying glass in the sun. You know those results, right?

Many experts recommend keeping plastic water bottles away from hot places like cars or garages and storing them in a cool, dark spot, far away from any heat sources.

Water Bottles Could Break Your Brakes

Not actually break them but they could definitely prevent you from doing so. If your floorboards are covered in plastic water bottles that are half full, they are probably rolling all over the place.

While driving, if one of those bottles rolls out from under the drivers seat and gets under the brake peddle and you approach a stop sign or light, it could spell danger. Plus, if it has been sitting in the heat, some pressure has built up inside making it impossible to squish it down even if it's lodged under the peddle.

Clean your car, immediately. Water bottles are dangerous.