About Aquamantra

As the creator of Aquamantra, an avid bottled water drinker I personally know that I AM HEALTHY, by the thoughts constructed in my mind. But as I ventured on this unknown journey to bring conscious water to the public, we started getting some questions from people that were questioning the purpose of our mission. One of the major things people were asking was what kind of PET it was and would it contaminate them.

First, let's explain what PET is. Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET, PETE or the obsolete PETP or PET-P) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. It is one of the most important raw materials used in man-made fibers.

( reference Wikepedia)

There are 7 levels from 1 -7, 7 being the thickest. Most bottled water is PET 1, as is Aquamantra's Bottles. However, within the range of PET 1 there is a variety of difference weights, which is why our bottles are thicker and feel more durable. Those range from around 20 - 40, ours being a 38. PET 7 bottles are commonly knows as the Naglene bottles, which people preach are the safest to drink out of. Contrary to what 'everyone' thinks, those bottles contain a chemical called Bisphenol A. There is a great deal of information found on this Bisphenol A Chemical, click here for much more detail and supporting evidence that this plastic is far more dangerous, than PET 1. Click here for an exact list of the Recycling Codes which explain the different types of plastic and their uses, for your awareness.

Now, that we know what PET is what are the facts? Well, I've heard from my very own doctors office, a homeopathic and herbal facility who refused to carry plastic bottles because they believe that chemicals leach from the plastic into the water. When people ask me that question, I often answer, that may be the case and as long as you're focusing on that happening, then those chemicals will go in your body and affect you. Isn't that our stance and what Quantum Physics says? And most people, acknowledge my statement as truth. But more recently I got a remark from a certain health store in Orange County, a boy asked us "Is your plastic the kind that contaminates people?" I think that comment threw me into action. Contaminates? We've been drinking bottled water for years and now all of us sudden there's a rumor that EVERYONE seems to know more about than us the bottle makers, who are trying to do a good thing by hydrating people. We are not trying to kill people and being the truth seeker I am... I did my homework and now I'm bringing to it you to put a stop to this nasty rumor! Drinking water is safe to most people, with the exception of pregnant women early in pregnancy.

The big issue is that there are chemicals called Phthalates, which can cause an ED which is an endocrine disruptors. In the 1950s and 1960s pregnant women were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen, to prevent miscarriages. Not only did DES fail to prevent miscarriages, but it also caused health problems for many of these women's children. In 1971, doctors began reporting high rates of unusual vaginal cancers in teenage girls. Investigations of the girls' environmental exposures traced the problem to their mothers' use of DES. The girls also suffered birth defects of the uterus and ovaries, and immune system suppression. This is an example of endocrine disruption.

What is an Endocrine Disruptor?

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are environmental chemicals that affect the function of the endocrine system, the system involving the glands and hormones of the body. The endocrine system coordinates the functions of various organs and systems in the body. EDs may disrupt the endocrine system in several ways:

  • they may act as "imposters" of naturally occurring hormones
  • they may block the action of hormones
  • they may alter the chemical message sent by hormones
  • they may disrupt the production of hormones or hormone receptors (proteins used to receive information from hormones)

Most EDs act like naturally occurring estrogens in the body. However, some EDs block androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone). The theory of endocrine disruptors gained credibility from a number of studies demonstrating reproductive problems in wildlife exposed to certain environmental chemicals. For example, alligators exposed to an organochlorine pesticide, diclofol experienced various reproductive abnormalities. Also, certain birds exposed to the organochlorine pesticide DDT failed to reproduce.

EDs are a diverse class of chemicals. They include:

  • certain pesticides (DDT)
  • industrial chemicals (PCBs, dioxins)
  • phthalates
  • phenols (bisphenol A, alkylphenol)
  • plant hormones (phytoestrogens)

What are Phthalates?

Phthalates are chemicals used as plasticizers, or plastic softeners. They make normally rigid plastics easier to bend. Phthalates are used in a variety of consumer products, including:

Bottled Water Containers

Water -

Drinking water may contain low levels of pthalates. However, the levels found in water tend to be extremely low.
Safety reviews by European and American scientific panels have specifically cleared phthalates for use in toys and in nail polish. The different reviews use phrases such as “safe as used,” or “no concern,” or “no demonstrated health risk.” No governmental review has found any phthalate unsafe as used in products for the general public.

(reference)

Because phthalates are so widely used, they have undergone extensive testing for possible health and environmental effects and are among the most widely researched of all chemical substances. Research findings and current assessments of the health and environmental effects of phthalates clearly show that they do not pose a risk to human health or the environment.

Phthalates do not persist in the environment; they biodegrade readily. They do not accumulate in animals or humans; inside the body, they break down quickly and are excreted. Most important, in their long history of beneficial use, there is not one known case of them ever having caused anyone any harm. To the contrary, they have contributed not only to our increased well-being in everyday life but they are also important and often unique components of many of today’s life saving medical devices.

(reference)

That being said, I also found this article about how there was a study done about women and pregnancy which was the first human study linking prenatal phthalate exposure to adverse effects on the male reproductive system. At worst, women who are pregnant might want to be cautious of how much bottled water they are drinking out of plastic. But even that statement is as silly to me as don't drive your car because the statistics are high you'll get in an accident. I don't believe anything in my world is created just by itself, and not be me. If I keep my frequency and thoughts high and in positive nature, all will be well. But the main point is, the silly boy ASKING "will the plastic contaminate" has no worries. If you're anything but a pregnant woman, you're fine and you can drink all you want. Additional proof was recently featured in June of 2007 the IBWA, International Bottled Water Association Claims Plastic Bottled Water Containers Are Safe. Review the article below:

Claims that plastic bottled water containers stored in warm environments (e.g., a hot automobile) "leach" unnamed chemicals that cause breast cancer or other maladies are not based in science and are unsubstantiated, the International Bottled Water Association announced. There are no studies, which prove this theory, IBWA claims. These allegations have been perpetuated by viral emails and media hype and only serve to frighten and confuse consumers, IBWA claims.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comprehensively regulates the safety of foods and beverages, including bottled water. This includes a careful review of food and beverage packaging materials, including plastics, before allowing them on the market. With respect to leaving bottled water in a hot car, FDA has stated:

"It is true that exposing the bottle to higher temperatures may imply a greater degree of migration of substances from the plastic to the water. However, in its safety review, the FDA takes into account exposures to higher temperatures, such as during storage and transportation of bottled water prior to sale, in its estimates of potential levels of migration of substances from the plastic to the water."

"The levels of migration expected, including during periods of exposure to elevated temperatures in storage and transport (such as might be experienced in a closed vehicle in the sun) have, as discussed above, been determined by the agency to be well within the margin of safety. Therefore, the agency does not consider this situation to be a safety concern."

For approved plastics, FDA has found that the levels of migration to food of the substances due to the use of the plastics in contact with food are well within the margin of safety based on information available to the agency (i.e., toxicological testing has demonstrated that the cumulative dietary concentration of these migrants resulting from the use of the plastic materials in food packaging is at least 100 to 1000 fold lower than the level at which no toxic effect was observed in animal studies.) This means no short or long term health effects are likely to occur, even from life-long, daily dietary exposure to these substances migrating from plastic food-contact materials.

The toxicological properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic used for bottled water and beverage containers, and compounds that migrate under test conditions have been well studied. In its report on PET in food packaging applications, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) summarizes the large body of test data that demonstrates the safety of PET resins and compounds from food and beverage containers.

A wide variety of consumer packaging fabricated from plastic, not just bottled water containers. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) does urge consumers to handle and store bottled water containers with the same care and respect as they would any other food or beverage product.

For additional information FDA packaging standards, contact the FDA Press office at 301-827-6242.

Plastic drink bottle cancer link 'a myth'
THE claim that repeated use of plastic drink bottles could cause cancer is an urban myth, a leading chemical industry spokesman says.

Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA) chief executive Michael Catchpole was responding to an email circulating in Australia that claims people who refill plastic bottles for drinking risked exposure to carcinogens.

The email said US singer Sheryl Crow told a television chat show that her breast cancer was a direct result of drinking water from plastic bottles left in the sun.

Mr Catchpole said there was no scientific basis to the claims, which dated back several years.

The plastic had been declared safe by Food Safety Australia New Zealand, he said.

"The claims of several years ago were tracked back to a Canadian bottled water manufacturer, which appeared to want to do nothing more than promote the purchase of bottled water and to discourage people from re-using plastic bottles refilled with tap water," Mr Catchpole said.

The said PET, the type of plastic used in drink bottles, was a very safe material used worldwide for bottled water and for many popular soft drinks.

"People who reuse a PET bottle to carry drinking water are in no danger from any chemicals leaching from the plastic into the water, as has been claimed in this email. It's an urban myth."

(News source)

Are you still reading?! WE LOVE YOU! Now you can be an Aquamantra advocate and drink all the water you want. The biggest issue now is bottled water vs. tap water and those big guys like Coca Cola and Dasani who are just converting tap water to purified water and charging a little less than us. Go fight that battle if you need a cause, but if you want to create a great life for yourself, focus on the change you want to make not the disasters that could be created. We are a Natural Spring Water from our Mother Earth using mantras and I AM Statements from ancient times to create an altruistic conscious consumer friendly and loving product. We thank you for taking the time to understand the truth.

Thank you for your support and help in raising consciousness One Sip at Time!

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Bisphenol A was invented in the 1930's during the search for synthetic estrogens. The first evidence of its estrogenicity came from experiments in the 1930's feeding BPA to ovariectomised rats (Dodds and Lawson 1936, 1938).

Another compound first synthesized during that era, diethylstilbestrol, turned out to be more powerful as an estrogen, so bisphenol A was shelved... until polymer chemists discovered that it could be polymerized to form polycarbonate plastic.

Bisphenol A is now deeply imbedded in the products of modern consumer society, not just as the building block for polycarbonate plastic (from which it then leaches as the plastic ages) but also in the manufacture of epoxy resins and other plastics, including polysulfone, alkylphenolic, polyalylate, polyester-styrene, and certain polyester resins.
Its uses don't end with the making of plastic. Bisphenol A has been used as an inert ingredient in pesticides (although in the US this has apparently been halted), as a fungicide, antioxidant, flame retardant, rubber chemical, and polyvinyl chloride stabilizer.

These uses create a myriad of exposures for people. Bisphenol A-based polycarbonate is used as a plastic coating for children's teeth to prevent cavities, as a coating in metal cans to prevent the metal from contact with food contents, as the plastic in food containers, refrigerator shelving, baby bottles, returnable containers for juice, milk and water, micro-wave ovenware and eating utensils.

Other exposures result from BPA's use in "films, sheets, and laminations; reinforced pipes; floorings; water main filters; enamels and varnishes; adhesives; artificial teeth; nail polish; compact discs; electric insulators; and as parts of automobiles, certain machines, tools, electrical appliances, and office automation instruments" (Takahashi and Oishi 2000).

BPA contamination is also widespread in the environment. For example, BPA can be measured in rivers and estuaries at concentrations that range from under 5 to over 1900 nanograms/liter. Sediment loading can also be significant, with levels ranging from under 5 to over 100 g/kg (ppb) BPA is quite persistent as under normal conditions in the environment it does not readily degrade (Rippen 1999).

What this all means is that most of your life you are within arm's length or closer to bisphenol A. No wonder the debate over its toxicity is so intense.

Some very important recent scientific studies of Bisphenol A:

An accident in the lab, followed by careful analysis and a series of experiments, reveals that bisphenol A causes aneuploidy in mice at low levels of exposure. Because aneuploidy in humans causes spontaneous miscarriages and some 10-20% of all birth defects, including Down Syndrome, this implicates bisphenol A in a broad range of human developmental errors. Hunt, PA, KE Koehler, M Susiarjo, CA Hodges, A Ilagan, RC Voigt, S Thomas, BF Thomas and TJ Hassold. 2003. Bisphenol A exposure causes meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology 13: 546-553.

Experiments by researchers at the University of Missouri raise the possibility of widespread contamination of laboratory experiments by bisphenol A. Their results demonstrate that at room temperature significant amounts of this estrogenic substance leach into water from old polycarbonate animal cages. This inadvertent contamination could interfere with experiments designed to test the safety of estrogenic chemicals, and lead to false negatives and conflicting results. Howdeshell, KA, PH Peterman, BM Judy, JA Taylor, CE Orazio, RL Ruhlen, FS vom Saal, and WV Welshons 2003. Bisphenol A is released from used polycarbonate animal cages into water at room temperature. Environmental Health Perspectives doi:10.1289/ehp.5993.

An analysis of the biochemical mechanisms of endocrine disruption suggests why industry has been unable to replicate crucial low-dose impacts of bisphenol A on prostate development. Howdeshell, KA, PH Peterman, BM Judy, JA Taylor, CE Orazio, RL Ruhlen, FS vom Saal, and WV Welshons 2003. Welshons, WV, KA Thayer, BM Judy, JA Taylor, EM Curran and FS vom Saal. 2003. Large effects from small exposures. I. Mechanisms for endocrine disrupting chemicals with estrogenic activity. Environmental Health Perspectives doi:10.1289/ehp.5494

Using new analytical methods, a team of German scientists measured bisphenol A in the blood of pregnant women, in umbilical blood at birth and in placental tissue. All samples examined contained BPA, at levels within the range shown to alter development. Thus widespread exposure to BPA at levels of concern is no longer a hypothetical issue. It is occurring. Schönfelder, G, W Wittfoht, H Hopp, CE Talsness, M Paul and I Chahoud. 2002. Parent Bisphenol A Accumulation in the Human Maternal-Fetal-Placental Unit. Environmental Health Perspectives 110:A703-A707.

At extremely low levels, BPA promotes fat cell (adipocyte) differentiation and accumulation of lipids in a cell culture line used as a model for adipocyte formation. These two steps, differentiation and accumulation, are crucial in the development of human obesity. Hence this result opens up a whole new chapter in efforts to understand the origins of the world-wide obesity epidemic. Masuno, H, T Kidani, K Sekiya, K Sakayama, T Shiosaka, H Yamamoto and K Honda. 2002. Bisphenol A in combination with insulin can accelerate the conversion of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts to adipocytes. Journal of Lipid Research 3:676-684.

In cell culture experiments, BPA at very low (nanomolar levels) stimulates androgen-independent proliferation of prostate cancer cells. This finding is especially important because when prostate tumors become androgen-independent they no longer respond to one of the key therapies for prostate cancer. Wetherill, YB, CE Petre, KR Monk, A Puga, and KE Knudsen. 2002. The Xenoestrogen Bisphenol A Induces Inappropriate Androgen Receptor Activation and Mitogenesis in Prostatic adenocarcinoma Cells. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 1: 515 524.

BPA causes changes in rat ventral prostate cells that appear similar to events that make nascent prostate tumors in humans more potent: Ramos, JG, J Varayoud, C Sonnenschein, AM Soto, M Muñoz de Toro and EH Luque. 2001. Prenatal Exposure to Low Doses of Bisphenol A Alters the Periductal Stroma and Glandular Cell Function in the Rat Ventral Prostate. Biology of Reproduction 65: 1271 1277.


BPA induces changes in mouse mammary tissue that resemble early stages mouse and human of breast cancer: Markey, CM, EH Luque, M Muñoz de Toro, C Sonnenschein and AM Soto. 2001. In Utero Exposure to Bisphenol A Alters the Development and Tissue Organization of the Mouse Mammary Gland. Biology of Reproduction 65: 1215 1223.

BPA at extremely low levels creates superfemale snails. Oehlmann, J, U Schulte-Oehlmann, M Tillmann and B Markert. 2000. Effects of endocrine disruptors on Prosobranch snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in the laboratory. Part I: Bisphenol A and Octylphenol as xenoestrogens. Ecotoxicology 9:383-397.

BPA is rapidly transfered to the fetus after maternal uptake: Takahashi, O and S Oishi. 2000. Disposition of Orally Administered 2,2-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane (Bisphenol A) in Pregnant Rats and the Placental Transfer to Fetuses. Environmental Health Perspectives
108:931-935.

An independently funded, academic laboratory can verify controversial BPA results, even though industry can't: Gupta, Chhanda. 2000. Reproductive malformation of the male offspring following maternal exposure to estrogenic chemicals. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 224:61-68.

Metabolic differences between rats and humans probably mean that humans are more sensitive to BPA than are rats: Elsby, R, JL Maggs, J Ashby and BK Park. 2001. Comparison of the modulatory effects of human and rat liver microsomal metabolism on the estrogenicity of bisphenol A: implications for extrapolation to humans. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 297-103-113.

A confirmation of BPA low dose effects, and demonstration that the effects include impacts on estrous cyclicity and plasma LH levels: Rubin, BS, MK Murray, DA Damassa, JC King and AM Soto. 2001. Perinatal Exposure to Low Doses of Bisphenol A Affects Body Weight, Patterns of Estrous Cyclicity, and Plasma LH Levels. Environmental Health Perspectives 109: 675-680.

BPA speeds the pace of sexual development in mice, and causes mice to be obese: Howdeshell, K, AK Hotchkiss, KA Thayer, JG Vandenbergh and FS vom Saal. 1999. Plastic bisphenol A speeds growth and puberty. Nature 401: 762-764.

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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2007 at 3:12 AM






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