Is Drinking Bottled Water Past Expiration Date Still Safe?

Bottled water is convenient to store. However, are they still safe to drink past their expiration date? Here's what you should know about it.

Is an Expired Bottle of Water Safe to Drink?

According to Alkaline 88, water doesn't go bad. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't even require adding expiration dates on water bottles.

A report from Science Alert echoed the same remarks, noting that the FDA's stance is that bottled water can last indefinitely as long as it is stored properly.

Every bottle releases some chemicals into the water just by coming into contact with it. Some of these substances are more harmful than others, such as phthalate esters, which can mess with your endocrine system, and antimony, which could harm your stomach and intestines.

Compared to plastic bottles, glass bottles generate fewer antimony and phthalate esters. Yet, most water bottles are constructed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which among all commonly used bottle materials, tends to discharge the most antimony.

Even PET bottles, however, shouldn't leak enough chemicals to contaminate the water within. Just small amounts of the compounds are ever found in your drink because, over time, the water and the bottle come to a chemical equilibrium.

The location in which you keep your water can also affect how it tastes. The International Bottled Water Association claims that plastic bottles are somewhat porous, which allows air molecules to enter and exit the bottle.

Vapors from common household solvents like drain cleaner or house paint could get into the bottled water if it is kept nearby, say, and change the taste.

You might recall from high school chemistry that hot water dissolves more compounds than room-temperature water.

Research shows PET bottles heated over 86 degrees Fahrenheit can emit too many phthalate esters. Bottles heated beyond 140 °F can release harmful amounts of antimony.

Hence, while a water bottle that has gone bad in the fridge could be okay to drink, a bottle you forgot in your car's heated trunk or on a sunny shelf is probably not.

Microbes That Can Contaminate Bottled Water

Bacteria may be to blame for the stale flavor of expired water. Even if bottled water businesses undergo extensive procedures to keep their products hygienic, accidents can happen.

For instance, bottled spring water tainted with norovirus was sent to some corporate locations in Spain in April 2016. Almost 4,000 workers exposed to the contaminated spring water in their office coolers had vomiting and fever due to gastroenteritis.

Yeasts, molds, and bacteria can also contaminate the container, in addition to viruses, frequently during shipping or packaging.

The microorganisms generally won't have much time to proliferate if you drink the bottle soon away. Nevertheless, exposing a bottle to sunlight for a long time will give the bacteria a warm, stable habitat to grow.

According to Quoc Le, tainted water can taste musty, moldy, swampy, sour, or rotten. As the bottle's rim is where most bacteria enter the container, you can also notice a thin, slimy layer.

Your water might make you ill if it tastes like a marsh. Your immune system and the kind of bacteria in the water will determine how sick you get.

While certain microorganisms may cause you to have a fever or an upset stomach, other microbes may cause you to have severe diarrhea that requires hospitalization.

Check out more news and information on Water in Science Times.