Awareness Of Hazards Caused By Long-Term Usage Of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottles

Introduction: Plastic is an essential component of various consumer products such as water bottles, product containers and many more. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the material most commonly used to manufacture plastic bottles in which water, beverage, condiments are commonly sold. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a semi-crystalline polymer belonging to the family of polyesters. Aim: The aim of this study was to survey the awareness about several hazards caused due to long term re-use of PET bottles. Materials and methods: A questionnaire consisting on five questions was posted on an online website named Survey Planet (https://app.surveyplanet.com). This survey was completed by 214 subjects within an age limit between 16-40 years. The questions were based on the usage and re-usage of PET bottles and knowledge of various hazards caused by long term usage of PET bottles. Results: The results were obtained from survey planet. They were statistically analysed.162(77.5%) subjects were aware about the ill effects of long term usage of PET bottles and 47(22.5%) were unaware about the various hazards, while the remaining 5 were unresponsive. Conclusion: The awareness about several hazards caused due to long term re-use of PET bottles among the participants were high.This survey helped to increase awareness on the various harmful compounds released from PET bottles such as phthalates, antimony, bisphenol A and the various effects and several endocrine disorders caused by them.