In places like Freetown, you see plastic water bottles and sachets sitting out in the open. They are in markets in vehicles or just sitting in the sun. Plastic water bottles are easy to use. When they are not stored properly it can be bad for your health. Most water bottles are made of a kind of plastic called polyethylene terephthalate. This plastic is okay to use but when it gets too hot or sits in the sun for too long it can start to break down.
When this happens tiny amounts of chemicals can get into the water. These chemicals can include things like antimony. The levels of these chemicals are usually not too high. If the water sits in the heat for a long time, it can become contaminated. Sunlight can also make bacteria grow in the water if the bottle has been opened or if it is dirty. When it is warm bacteria can multiply fast and this can make the water not safe to drink.
It is good to know that not all sunlight is going to make the water poisonous right away. If you leave plastic water bottles in the hot sun for a long time it can make the water quality bad. The Nature Newspaper says that the government needs to do something about the health problems caused by water bottles sitting in the sun. Scientists have shown that when plastic gets too hot or sits in the sun it can release chemicals into the water. Just telling people about the problem is not enough.
The government needs to make sure that people who sell water are storing it properly. This means they need to keep the water in a place out of the sun. If they do not do this, they should get in trouble. For long people have been drinking water that has bad chemicals in it. This is because the water was stored in bottles that sat in the sun. We need the government to make sure that people know about this problem and to make sure that the law is followed.
This means that if someone is storing water in a way that’s not safe the government should stop them and punish them. The government needs to protect the health of its people. To make sure that the law is followed we need the government to enforce compliance. First all water delivery vehicles need to be covered or insulated. This means that the water will not get too hot. We also need health inspectors to check on stores and markets to make sure they are storing the water properly.
The companies that make the water need to be responsible, for making sure their water is stored safely. We need a way for people to report stores that are not following the law. The Nature Newspaper suggests that Water companies should do their distributions before and after sunrise. There is an urgent need to sensitize the people but just telling people about the problem is not enough.
We need to make sure that the law is followed so that the water is safe to drink. When it is hot outside, the plastic can release chemicals into the water really fast. If we do not make sure that the law is followed stores will just keep storing the water in temperature that could be harmful for human consumption.
