Oman's Municipal Council plans to impose fine for exposing bottled water to sun

Muscat: Trucks that transport and distribute bottled water are failing to protect the products from direct sunlight as heat exposure can cause a chemical reaction between the plastic and water, which poses a health risk to consumers.
Some trucks failing to comply with these public health regulations have caught the attention of the Health Committee of the Municipal Council in Muscat, which has urged nationals and residents to report such violations.
Salim Al Ghammari, member of the Health Committee, called on citizens and residents alike to report any truck and its number plate to the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, which is posing such risks to the potable water.
“It forms a major health risk. Imagine a truck carrying bottled water crossing the border from a neighbouring country to Salalah and the water being exposed to the heat and sunlight; it could be detrimental to a person’s health if he or she were to drink the water,” said Al Ghammari.
“The trucks must shield the bottled water from sunlight and preferably keep its temperature regulated,” he added.
He further said that as of now there aren’t any fines for trucks involved in such violations, but the committee is working on introducing one.
Bisphenol A (BPA) contained in polycarbonate plastic, which is commonly used for bottled water, leaches at a certain temperature and increases rapidly as the temperature rises, which allows it to mix with the drink. BPA is a chemical, which mimics the body’s hormone, Estrogen.
According to the Institute for Agriculture and Food Policy’s (IAFP’s) Smart Plastics Guide, “A Centre for Disease Control study detected BPA in the urine of 95 per cent of adults sampled. Scientists have found BPA in the blood of pregnant women, in the umbilical cord blood and in the placenta; all at levels shown to cause harm to laboratory animals.”
IAFP’s guide also stated, “BPA stimulates prostate cancer cells and causes breast tissue changes that resemble the early stages of breast cancer in both mice and humans. Higher BPA levels in urine have been associated with ovarian dysfunction.”