And another wonderful use for corn! F*ck food prices, make fuel AND bottles out of corn instead of food.

Will Primo bottles change shape in high heat?

Primo bottles are made from a renewable plant-based natural plastic that is
better for the environment than oil-based bottles. But like other plastics,
in some instances, exposure to high temperatures can alter the shape of the
bottle. As with all beverages, we recommend storing Primo in a cool place.
In addition, there should be no worry that any chemicals can leach into the
Primo water. Rigorous testing indicates that regardless of temperature,
there is no known leaking of chemicals from our natural, petroleum-free
bottle to the water inside. Primo single-serve bottles are also 100% BPA
free.

@driver905: I just have a hard time believing a plastic bottle would shrink so perfectly and evenly in all dimensions, yet have the mouth size stay the same to continue holding the threaded cap, or that the cap would shrink the same as the bottle

The amount of plastic used is a lot thicker at the mouth of the bottle - this can be demonstrated on any plastic drink bottle - squeeze the middle and see how flimsy the plastic is there, then take the cap off and squeeze the mouth of the bottle. A lot thicker. The thinner parts would be affected by the heat first and show more obvious shrinkage, with less structure to keep them from shrinking.

Thanks for alerting us to David's discovery about Primo in "The
Incredible Shrinking Water Bottle" post. Also, we want to thank David
for making the simple choice of choosing Primo over other bottled
waters.

As your readers have pointed out, many beverage bottles alter when
exposed to high heat. Because Primo bottles are made from a renewable
plant-based natural plastic that is better for the environment that
oil-based bottles, in some instances, exposure to high temperatures can
alter the shape of the bottle. As with all beverages, we recommend
storing Primo in a cool place. In addition, there should be no worry
that any chemicals can leach into the Primo water. Rigorous testing
indicates that regardless of temperature, there is no known leaking of
chemicals from Primo's natural, petroleum-free bottle to the water
inside. Primo single-serve bottles are also 100% BPA free.

Thanks to your story, we will update the "frequently asked questions"
section on our Web site at www.primowater.com
to clarify these points.

Tim Ronan

Primo Water Corporation

Grocery Shrink Ray in stealth mode-shrinks after you buy

@rellog: Just playing devil's advocate here (I haven't read any of the research myself) but German and Japanese agencies - as well as the EU's Food Safety Authority - seem to think that the toxicity studies don't hold much water. And I know that the EU tends to be pretty strict about this stuff.

Seriously, that stuff is the worst. It ought to be banned.

What's a little plastic in your water compared to all these other chemicals?

Maybe it's a depth-perception trick. ;)

What happened to the ripple part on the bottom of the bottle?

Another idea, hot air could leak out through the cap, depending on how tightly it was closed, and didn't pop.

All in all, while I won't say it didn't happen, I also have to say I'm extremely skeptical of the whole story. I have no experience in ever seeing this kind of shrinkage despite buying water and other consumables and leaving partially or even completely empty bottles in my car for days during a hot summer.

As for the "exploding aluminum can" comments, Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" has debunked that particular story very graphically, per this link: [mythbustersresults.com]

While I don't deny a car gets hot, conditions such as needed to cause such an effect need to be more extreme than evidenced in this discussion. Possibly the one mitigating factor was whether or not the car involved was black rather than some other color, at which point it could absorb much more heat and maybe have enough additional effect to cause the stated shrinkage.

@NotATool: The plastic has probably undergone heat testing at multiple points - I'd guess, at least, at the original manufacturer (which uses the data to ensure that the product conforms to their specifications/gov't regulations) and again at the bottler (to ensure that they're getting material that conforms to their standards).

Additionally, corn-based plastics like this are rated as "compostable plastic," an ASTM standard that states (among other things) that the material must leave no toxic residue and must break down into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass.

I do think it's ironic that their selling point is biodegradable plastic, when bottled water is inherently environmentally inefficient.

Seriously, that is cool looking.

Even the cap shrunk along with the mouth.

@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy: Yep. Most likely it was much higher than 100 degrees. The lack of understanding of exactly how hot cars get is the cause of too many pet and child deaths. I'm OK with a waterbottle casualty.

(Oh, and before I forget, on the toxicity issue: "OMG! There are chemicals in my water!" Must I again bring up the frightening reality of dihydrogen monoxide?)

Also learned that waxy paper cups from fast-food joints will melt unpleasantly and leak all over when left in a hot car for days on end....

@basket548: I respectfully disagree. How do you know if the plastic bottle has undergone any heat treatment testing? Just because the label says it's biodegradable doesn't mean it's 100% safe, even in hot temperatures.

I personally would not want to ingest water from a deformed bottle. To me that seems like reasonable caution. Kind of like not buying a dented can at the grocery store. It may or may not be OK, but I don't want to be the guinea pig.

A can of soda can most definitely explode in a hot car. I left a sealed can of Sprite near the rear window of a car in 90+ degree heat in Toledo, OH a few years ago. Walking back to the car, I noticed that it looked all "foggy" inside. Of course, it was really that the entire inside of my car was coated in sugar-water, some of which had browned/carmelized and dried to the ceiling, carpet, etc. Not fun.

The can looked like it had been torn open very violently, length-wise. The bottom indentation was pushed out as well.

It's still better than oil-based plastics, so if you want a bottle to hold onto that won't shrink, buy a Sigg bottle.

My only complaint is that I can't recycle these cups (number 7) and they just get tossed if you don't have a compost disposal bin around (which is basically everywhere).

I've seen the aftermath of a heat-related soda can explosion in the Arizona desert. [mythbusters-wiki.discovery.com] has stories of a few more.

An intelligent bottle: it shrinks to maintain that "still full" look!

@zigziggityzoo:

Are you sure they had not already been damaged. If a can has already been dropped and the can dented, they can then be prone to exploding when heated. But an undamaged can should do that.

Because the plastic is so sensitive to 100 degree heat, it doesn't serve its purpose very well. And, this probably means that toxins could be leaking out from the plastic.

MmmmHmmm. This belief is based on what, exactly? Do you even know what the bottle is made of that might be toxic?@

href="#c6857155">colinjay: BPA in cans and bottles in not unsafe. Both the FDA and Health Canada have shown (using science, of all things) that there is no danger presented by the BPA in cans and bottles.

@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy:

Sorry... but there's no way a can would explode in a hot car. Worst case is the dent in the bottom of the can (also known as the "kick" or "punt") would be pushed out. That's exactly what it's designed to do. I've had full cans in a car at 150+ degrees and they we undamaged.

The screw cap part doesn't shrink because it was never stretched in the blow-molding process. You can try this yourself by holing a match under an empty water or soda bottle. Any bottle with the recycle code of "1 PET" of "1 PETE" should shrink some under heat.

The newer plastic likely isn't biodegrading but simply undergoing the same process at a lower temperature.

@basket548: I agree. Since the main purpose of the plastic is to bidegrade in this way, I'm guessing it was designed so it wouldn't leach poison into the environment. Plus, I'm willing to bet that this pretty common scenario was covered during the product testing.

I agree that if the bottle were full of water, it wouldn't have shrunken like that, though it might have deformed a bit.

Instead of freezing the water and making it burst out of the normal container, this is the container shrinking and making the water burst out! Fun!

"What manufacturer would EVER release a product that leaks anything remotely harmful when subject to normal environmental conditions?"

Google "Nalgene" and "BPA"

hahahahahahahahaha

that's awesome

Also, just because something shrinks and 'deforms' doesn't mean that it's leaking something dangerous. Think of it as a plastic balloon. Same exact concept.

@basket548: Umm...on the basis that the bottle has heated to the point where it's becoming severely deformed. That's the first thing I thought of when reading this...who cares about water all over your upholstery, I'd be worried about what the bottle might be leaching into my water.

You don't need 100% scientific proof here, just a reasonable dose of caution...

Good information to have (I certainly wouldn't want anything leaking into my car!), but "And, this probably
means that toxins could be leaking out from the plastic."

Assuming much there? On what basis are you making this claim?

I remember 6 years ago when i was in middle school kids used to take the water bottles we got at lunch and bring them to the hot water dispenser and fill them. They'd shrink almost instantly to half their size. I think its just general for some types of plastics--shrink under heat?

"Sorry, that bottle is larger than 1.6 ounces"

"Ok, just a sec." *heats up bottle*

"Is that better now? We can fly safely."

@TheAlphateam: not necessarily the melting point. Once the metal heats to the flash point f the paper, it'll go.

My guess is the water bottle was nearly empty-you can see the water level in the small bottle. I don't think this isa trick either-if you look closely, the base of the shrunk bottle is wider than the middle-I've never seen a bottle sold like that.

As for the threaded section, it may have been a different plastic. At the least, it's a thicker plastic. Come to think of it, that would explain why the base didn't shrink as much either.

Can't we come up with something that takes a more reasonable amount of time to break down? I don't know, two years maybe? Five? Certainly that would be sufficient compared to hundreds (thousands?) of years for normal plastics.

Right. Water is only very slightly compressible. So how could that bottle have shrunk that much without bursting or at least leaking out the top? And why didn't the threaded section shrink? Skeptical...

Hey, it worked for Diet Coke and Mentos...

@nytmare: Soylent Water Bottles. They're shrinky-dinks I tell you! SHRINNNNKY DINNNNKS!

The water certainly wouldn't gush out upon opening. Water doesn't compress. Most likely, it would just break somewhere and you'd get a little water (no more than 16.9 fluid ounces!) on your carpet and your car would be a little steamy when you open it. Nothing major.

It's in ur hom, shrinking ur fud.

I would definately be most concerned about whatever toxins become released. I have heard that Cheryl Crow thinks her breast cancer may of been caused by drinking water left in a plastic bottle in a hot car.

Oh crap, have I just been virally marketed?