Plastic Kettle Health Alert: Why You Need to Give Up Plastic Kettles
Have you been using a plastic kettle to boil water? If so, you need to stop. Plastic kettles leach chemicals that can be harmful to your health. These chemicals are some of the same ones found in plastic products that are not safe for humans and animals.
If you’re ready to learn more about the potential health risks of drinking out of plastic kettles, keep reading. We’ll explain everything you need to know so that you can make an informed decision.
Alarming side effects
Many studies have shown that plastics can cause alarming side effects, such as cancer and infertility. Research published in the journal 'Nature Food' shows that boiling water in a traditional plastic kettle can release more than 10 million micro-plastic particles into a litre of boiling water. These tiny fragments will inevitably be transferred into your cup when making tea or coffee or even into your cooking when adding boiling water to a pan.
Infant Health
It is not just plastic kettles that are affected, boiling water affects plastic whilst preparing formula milk in baby bottles. The research found that the average 12-month old infant being fed formula is drinking 2.6 million tiny microplastic particles a day.
Sterilisation and exposure to high-temperature water can release 16 million plastic particles per litre, the study found. The research looked at three kettles from different manufacturers in the UK.
Dunzhu Li, a Researcher from Trinity College Dublin suggests rinsing sterilized bottles with cool water that has been boiled in non-plastic kettles, so as to wash away any microplastics released during sterilization.
The Environmental Impact of Plastic
We all know that plastic isn’t exactly the most sustainable material to use. In fact, it takes approximately 1,000 years for a single tonne of plastic to fully degrade. This means that unless you have a very, very long lifespan, there's a good chance that your kettles will end up as one of the toxic by-products of plastic production.
This is the reason why some countries have started taking measures to ban the production and use of plastic kettles.
Heard enough? Now, it's time for you to make a change.
Here are 4 alternatives to plastic kettles
1. Stainless steel kettles
Stainless steel looks sleek and stylish, however, limescale can build up quickly and can be difficult to clean. They are also prone to rusting after long term usage. These kettles can be very loud when boiling water and will often still contain a plastic component to measure the water level.
2. Glass kettle
Glass kettles are a modern addition to any kitchen. Made from borosilicate glass, they are resistant to high temperatures and capable of withstanding the pressure of boiling water. However, unlike stainless steel, the glass will still shatter if dropped, and many glass kettles still have a lot of plastic components such as handles and lids. While they do look cool, they may not be the most practical option.
3. Stovetop Kettle
A stovetop kettle works on all stove types and campfires alike. With a large capacity, you can boil more water than the majority of kettles. However, it can take almost three times as long meaning you will have to wait for that cuppa coffee or tea. Stovetop kettles are heavy, so difficult to handle. While you will save on electricity, you will lose out on time and convenience. Handles on stovetop kettles are also often cheap and take little time to come loose.
4. Instant boiling water tap
Instant boiling water taps are made from high-grade materials such as brass and stainless steel. The boiling water taps come with a carbon purity filter that removes almost all limescale & chemical impurities found in your mains water supply, which improves the quality of your water, something you won't get with the options above. Your hot water will be delivered to your cup instantly when you need it, saving time by not having to wait around for a kettle to boil.
Currently, it is not known what damage ingesting such large numbers of microplastics pose to our health, however, researchers around the world continue to look into this amid mounting evidence that plastic particles are finding their way into food and drink.
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