In the past, water bottles were sometimes made of wood, bark, or animal skins such as leather, hide and sheepskin.
[2] Mexican citizens drink more bottled water than people of any other country, at an average of 61.8 gallons per person each year – more than twice the rate of US per capita consumption.
[2] The increase in the use of single-use personal plastic water bottles has contributed markedly to the country's litter problem, though the increase in the popularity of bottled water has come with a decrease in the growth rate of consumption of soft drinks[2] (which pose health risks in excessive quantities, as well as the same littering problem).
Made primarily from stainless steel or aluminium (aluminum), they are durable and retain less odor and taste from previous contents than most plastic bottles.
Metal bottles thus often contain a resin or epoxy liner to protect contents from taste and odor transfer or corrosion.
Single-walled metal bottles readily transfer temperature of contents to external surfaces, which makes them unsuitable for use with unusually hot or cold liquids.
Because they are completely recyclable, BPA-free, and do not retain and transfer taste or odor, glass water bottles are becoming a popular choice for many consumers who are concerned about their health.
Glass bottles are heavier than plastic, stainless steel, or aluminium, and are easier to damage or completely break.
Such bottles may still break if dropped, and thus some brands are triple-layer, with the glass inside two layers of plastic; this is a common configuration for large flasks intended for coffee or other liquids that need to be insulated.
[7] Carbon filtration bottles will eliminate some organic chemicals and improve the taste and odor of water.
The data is transmitted to a smartphone, which enables tracking of an individual's water intake and alerts the user when they are not properly hydrated.
Rural residents of developing countries who burn plastic as a disposal method are not protected from the chemical inhalation hazards associated with this practice.
It is important to dispose of water that has been stored in PET bottles that have been exposed to high temperatures for a prolonged period of time or are beyond the expiration date because harmful chemicals may leach from the plastic.
Therefore, frequently drinking from bottles stored in places such as cars during the summer months may have negative health effects.
While PET is considered less toxic than many other types of plastic, the Berkeley Ecology Center found that manufacturing PET creates toxic emissions in the form of nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide and benzene at levels 100 times higher than those created to make the same amount of glass.
The Pacific Institute calculates that it required about 17 million barrels of oil to make the disposable plastic bottles for single-serve water that Americans consumed in 2006.