/oss/taxonomy/term/1089/all en /oss/article/medical-you-asked/bottled-water-bad-your-health <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the</em> <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-is-bottled-water-bad-for-your-health"><em>Montreal Gazette.</em></a></p> <hr /> <p>Tap water or bottled water? The point has been debated for years, but a new study has added another dimension to the discussion. A recent study in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2300582121">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> has created a bit of a panic with the suggestion that high levels of microplastics can be found in bottled water.</p> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 14:27:47 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9807 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/macropanic-over-nanoplastics <p>I keep teasing my analytical chemist colleagues that they are responsible for the anxiety that so many people have about chemicals invading their lives. Hardly a day goes by without some report of phthalates, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, dioxins, bisphenol A, or a host of other mischievous “toxins” being detected in our food and water. That detective work is carried out by analytical chemists who continue to devise better and better means to uncover smaller and smaller amounts of contaminants.</p> Thu, 11 Jan 2024 19:48:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9800 at /oss /oss/article/health-news-you-asked/dont-blame-water-bottle <p>I've repeatedly been asked about the circulating email that claims Sheryl Crow blames her breast cancer on chemicals leaching out of water bottles and warns women to never keep bottled water in the car in summer. Well, first of all, Sheryl didn't actually say that her breast cancer was caused by having left water bottles in a car. And what if she had? Is Sheryl an icon of science? Hardly. Unfortunately the singer was diagnosed with breast cancer, and when such a calamity occurs, people commonly look for possible causes of their affliction.</p> Tue, 25 Jun 2013 02:27:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1965 at /oss