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Does your favorite soda, juice, water, tea, or energy drink contain toxic heavy metal antimony? It’s very possible if you are drinking it from a plastic PET bottle. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best water filters for PFAS filtering, surprising fast food products with no PFAS in packaging, & cooking oils without PFAS “forever chemicals,” now join us as we bring you the results of a recent consumer study by Defend Our Health about antimony levels in plastic beverages.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links. 

Großer Stapel alter PET-Flaschen Large stack of old plastic bottles

Antimony — a Toxic Heavy Metal in PET Plastics That’s Wise to Avoid

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry under the Center for Disease Control (CDC), antimony is used in textiles and plastics to prevent them from catching fire during processing and is problematic to health. It’s also used in paints, ceramics, fireworks, enamels, lead storage batteries, solder, sheet & pipe metal, bearings, castings, and pewter.

This silvery-white metal is found in the earth’s crust and are mined with other metals to form antimony alloys or combined with oxygen to form antimony oxide. Lots of antimony is used in the manufacturing of plastic and polyester used for clothing, especially the most common type of plastic–polyethylene terephthalate (PET). More than 83 million metric tons of PET were produced in 2019, accounting for 19% of all plastics production worldwide.

Toxic antimony isn’t the only problematic chemical used in the processing of PET plastics, there are others:

  • Compounds of antimony and cobalt, which are known to cause cancer and organ toxicity, are also used as processing aids or additives in PET and often escape exposing humans when consuming beverages in plastic bottles.
  • When manufactured, toxic ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane are routinely emitted into the air and discharged as waste impacting local communities.
  • Ethylene glycol, a reproductive toxicant that can harm the intrauterine development of a baby, is also used in the production of PET.

California considers antimony a toxic substance and restricts it’s levels in drinking water to between 1-6 parts per billion (ppb), whereas 1ppb is the health goal. So what about the health effects? Sometimes antimony is used as a medicine to treat people with leishmaniasis (kala-azar), an infection caused by a protozoan parasite. When this happens, the side effects are stomach pain and ulcers, diarrhea, and vomiting. Ingesting large doses of antimony can also cause vomiting. Antimony is also known to trigger lichen planus — a recurring itchy inflammatory rash on the skin or in the mouth from contact with the heavy metal.

Plastic bottle isolated on white

Consumer Study Found Toxic Antimony in Beverages in PET Plastic Bottles

Non-profit Defend Our Health was given a generous donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies to look into petrochemical plastics and their impact on public health. With that donation, they commissioned a consumer study to look at levels of antimony inside PET plastic beverage bottles sold to the public to showcase that plastic pollution is not just a waste problem, but also a public health problem.

Beverages inside PET bottles were purchased and sent to an EPA-certified laboratory to test for antimony in both the plastic itself and the beverage. The investigation and report made the following claims:

  • In nearly half of the PET plastic-bottled beverages were tested (40%), the concentration of antimony in the drink itself exceeded 1 part per billion (ppb), the California Public Health Goal for drinking water. 
  • Daily exposure to the amount of antimony found in 40% of the plastic bottles can cause liver damage. Excess exposure can increase risk of cancers, heart disease, and other organic toxicity.
  • 90% of the beverages tested exceed 0.25ppb, a more protective health limit recommended by Defend Our health. This level takes into account other areas where routine exposure happens on a daily basis.
  • PET releases more antimony when exposed to heat, light, soda, juice or extended storage time. 
  • According to the lab, ranges of antimony found inside beverages were from 0.17 to 3.45 parts per billion (ppb), whereas levels of antimony inside plastic PET beverage bottles were from 216 – 321 parts per million (ppm). In other words, depending on how long those bottles were sitting on the shelves, levels of antimony exposure may vary based on migration points: heat, light, type of beverage, & storage time.
  • Safer alternatives to antimony are widely available, but evidently, are not being used by the most popular beverage companies.

pile of plastic bottles prepared for recycling

Exposure to Antimony Exceeds Safety Limits for Children

In terms of children, antimony exposure may exceed what adults are exposed to based on their behaviors of putting their toys, clothing, and hands in their mouths. This means it’s even more important to restrict the amount of antimony children are exposed to in everyday products.

Where are children exposed to antimony?

  • Ingestion: PET plastic bottles, drinking water, food, polyester cuddly toys, & house dust
  • Dermal: Polyester fabrics (clothing), upholstered furniture, & crib mattresses
  • Inhalation: House dust, outdoor air

According to California EPA, the safe exposure level for children needs to not exceed 140 ng/kg/day, which is the acceptable daily dose (ADD) of antimony for its Public Health Goal for antimony in drinking water. (The United States EPA has a reference dose of 430 ng/kg/day.) However, according to this study from Defend Our Health, antimony can exceed 140 ppm for children every day based on other exposures, which puts them at risk for health issues tied to overexposure.

Rows of water bottles in plastic wrap

Mamavation Covers Raw Data From PET Plastic Beverage Study

Mamavation has pulled the raw data from the consumer study from Defend Our Health to warn our audience about the dangers of drinking beverages in PET bottles. These products represent the following companies: The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Nestle, Ocean Spray, and Campbell Soup Company. Not all beverages available in the United States were tested in an EPA-certified lab, however, it’s clear from what was tested that the most popular beverages inside PET plastic bottles may pose a risk to public health.

Soda in Plastic PET Bottles

  • Coca Cola (in plastic bottle) — 2.2 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)
  • Diet Coke (in plastic bottle) — 1.22 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)
  • Mountain Dew (in plastic bottle) — 1.38 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)
  • Diet Pepsi (in plastic bottle) — 1.1 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)
  • Pepsi (in plastic bottle) — 0.98 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Dr. Pepper (in plastic bottle) — 0.79 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Diet Dr. Pepper (in plastic bottle) — 0.79 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • 7up (in plastic bottle) — 0.82 parts per billion (ppb) antimony

Tea in Plastic PET Bottles

  • Honest Tea with Lemon (in plastic bottle) — 1.07 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)
  • Snapple Peach Tea (in plastic bottle) — 0.5 parts per billion (ppb) antimony

Juice in Plastic PET Bottles

  • Simply Lemonade (in plastic bottle) — 0.96 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Tropicana Orange (in plastic bottle) — 0.56 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Motts Apple Juice (in plastic bottle) — 0.98 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Ocean’s Spray 100% Juice (in plastic bottle) — 0.46 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • V8 (in plastic bottle) — 3.45 parts per billion (ppb) antimony

Energy Drinks in Plastic PET Bottles

  • Powerade Fruit Punch (in plastic bottle) — 0.88 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Gatorade Blue Rasberry (in plastic bottle) — 1.78 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)

Water in Plastic PET Bottles

  • Dasani (in plastic bottle) — 0.17 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Aquafina (in plastic bottle) — 0.19 parts per billion (ppb) antimony
  • Perrier (in plastic bottle) — 1.58 parts per billion (ppb) antimony* (above California’s public health goal for water)

box of recycled plastics

What Does Mamavation Recommend?

Mamavation recommends buying less beverages in plastic PET bottles to lessen your exposure to antimony. Here are some additional recommendations.

Best Home Water Filters for Toxic PFAS "Forever Chemical" Filtration 2

Mamavation’s Recommended Water Filter Product: AquaTru Water Filtration Reverse Osmosis

Arsenic is also found in drinking water, so having a special water filter is good to remove all those contaminants that may be coming into your drinking water based on your location. But what is worse than arsenic in your water is PFAS “forever chemicals.” But don’t worry, Mamavation did an investigation on the best water filters that capture PFAS chemicals by following an independent study done on close to 100 different brands.

After we categorized all the water filters, pitchers, and refrigerator filters in our water filter investigation for PFAS, it was clear that there was an affordable option! Mamavation is recommending you get an AquaTru system.

  • AquaTru is the first and only countertop reverse osmosis water purifier. It also comes with an under-the-sink model if you want to avoid the countertop model, which is made of plastic. This brand is able to remove antimony from drinking water.
  • Certified to NSF standards to remove 85 contaminants, including lead, Chromium-6, Chlorine, Fluoride, PFAs, and more.
  • Was the only countertop brand independently tested to have non-detect levels of all PFAS chemicals in the independent study: GenX, PFBS, PFHxS, PFBA, PFOS, PFPA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, & PFDA
  • Two different locations in the study had Aqua Tru machines and both had similar results–all the PFAS was at non-detectable levels.

Mamavation reached out to AquaTru and this link will get you $150 off a unit deducted automatically at checkout. 

  • AquaTru Countertop Water Purifier Connect (with Wifi connectivity built-in meters & tracking) — $499.00 ($349 with automatic Mamavation discount)
  • AquaTru Countertop Water Purifier Classic — $449 ($299 with automatic Mamavation discount)
  • AquaTru Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier — $299
  • AquaTru Under Sink Alkaline Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier (with added minerals) — $319

Plastic bottles at a factory

PFAS Consumer Studies Mamavation Has Released & More!

Mamavation has been commissioning studies looking for PFAS “forever chemicals” inside everyday products you use. These chemicals also show up in plastics because some plastics are fluorinated.

We are continuing to test and run studies and if you would like to tax-deductible donation, simply go to Environmental Health News and donate on behalf of Mamavation. Environmental Health News & Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University has partnered with us on most of our PFAS studies and provides support & more scientific scrutiny.

Here are the PFAS consumer investigations we have finished:

We also have other investigations you may like.

Recent Product Investigations

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joyce

    Is HDPE plastic any less toxic than PET plastic?
    I try to avoid plastic whenever possible, but could you explain the difference if plastic is unavoidable?
    I want to get a water filter, but am still fearful of chemicals and pharmaceuticals
    getting past the filter. At present, we pay for 5 gal delivered Poland spring water.
    There are so many different strong opinions on water filters ( reverse osmosis vs distilled etc) . Every time I think I have made a decision, I hear another opinion.
    Does anyone else have this problem or figured it out?

    Reply

  2. Pat

    Thanks but glass, stainless steel, etc are not necessarily better options. For example you recommend San pellegrino when their bottles contain lead (typical in green glass). Glass can also contain cadmium & other heavy metals, same with stainless steel. That’s just the price we pay for the convenience of disposables. The better option of course is opting out of disposable containers & keeping a supply of verified toxin free reusables.

    Reply

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