New York Travelers May Want to Rethink Bottled Water in Cars

If you’re like a lot of people in New York State, you probably keep a bottle of water in your car. Maybe it’s for long drives, road trips, or just in case you get thirsty while running errands.

Some people even keep extra water in their car as part of an emergency kit, especially during winter travel. But a new lab study suggests that leaving bottled water in your vehicle for several days may not be as harmless as many of us think.

A Study Looked at What Happens After 72 Hours

Researchers recently ran a test to see what happens when bottled water sits in a vehicle for a few days. They filled two containers with the same filtered water. One was a single-use plastic bottle, and the other was a stainless steel bottle. Both bottles were placed inside a vehicle and left there for three days, after those 72 hours, the water was tested in a certified laboratory.

Plastic Bottles Showed Detectable Contaminants

When the water from the plastic bottle was tested, they found detectable contaminants that had moved into the water. One of them was DEHP, a chemical used to make plastics flexible. It was measured at 2.58 parts per billion.

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Scientists also found trihalomethanes, which are chemical compounds that can form in water. The total amount measured was 18.09 parts per billion, including chloroform at about 17 parts per billion. To put that into perspective, one part per billion is about the same as one drop of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.

Stainless Steel Bottles Showed No Contaminants

The stainless steel bottle told a different story. When researchers tested the water from that bottle after the same three-day period in the vehicle, no detectable contaminants were found. Both bottles were exposed to the same conditions, but the materials they were made from produced very different results.

Why This Matters for Travelers in New York

For people across New York, it’s very common to leave a water bottle in the car. Maybe you’re heading out on a long drive, or just keeping supplies in the trunk during winter in case of emergencies. This study shows that the type of bottle you use may matter, especially if the water will sit in your car for several days.

A Small Travel Habit That Could Make a Difference

Most people never think twice about a bottle of water sitting in the car. But according to the research, switching from single-use plastic bottles to reusable stainless steel bottles could help stop contaminants from forming if the water sits for a while.