# Water bottle safe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272 "2015-08-19T16:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Kbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kbot)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/1 "2015-08-19T16:42:57Z")
The bottled water our company uses has the number 8 on the bottom of the bottle. It’s a stand alone 8 without the recycling symbol. I know the numerical range is 1 to 7 for plastics. If anyone has information about the numbers outside the normal range please share. Also the number is 8 on all bottles. Not deformed 6. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/2 "2015-08-19T16:49:02Z")
Could you take a picture of the bottles in question an post to an image sharing site? Also, welcome to the SDMB. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/3 "2015-08-19T17:29:17Z")
If it’s not inside the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol, it may not have anything to do with the composition of the bottle. Maybe it’s the volume of the container (8 gallons?). –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/4 "2015-08-19T18:03:49Z")
Asked in 2011, with no answer: [Plastic #8 - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=605819) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/5 "2015-08-19T18:20:08Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > If it’s not inside the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol, it may not have anything to do with the composition of the bottle. Maybe it’s the volume of the container (8 gallons?). > > –Mark 8 gallons would be almost twice the standard size (5 gallons), and pretty freakin’ heavy. Maybe it’s upside down? Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/6 "2015-08-19T18:41:06Z")
Maybe it’s sideways and it’s actually infinity gallons. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/7 "2015-08-19T18:49:15Z")
Go around your house and take a sampling of plastic containers. In addition to the recycling code, many of them have another number on them. I just looked at about half a dozen, and found them to vary from 2 to 39, and a couple of them have a prefix like “SP”. I’m guessing they’re just manufacturer’s codes which won’t make a lot of sense to us. Perhaps the manufacturer makes bottles of a particular style in # 1,2,3, … etc. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/8 "2015-08-19T19:07:42Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Go around your house and take a sampling of plastic containers. In addition to the recycling code, many of them have another number on them. I just looked at about half a dozen, and found them to vary from 2 to 39, and a couple of them have a prefix like “SP”. I’m guessing they’re just manufacturer’s codes which won’t make a lot of sense to us. Perhaps the manufacturer makes bottles of a particular style in # 1,2,3, … etc. Actually, I’ll amend that a bit. I just looked at 4 plastic tubs for the same brand of sliced pastrami, which I save because they make convenient storage containers - they are identical except for the number - there are 4 different numbers: 37, 24, 13 and 67. More likely a lot or manufacturing facility number of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/9 "2015-08-19T19:09:52Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Actually, I’ll amend that a bit. I just looked at 4 plastic tubs for the same brand of sliced pastrami, which I save because they make convenient storage containers - they are identical except for the number - there are 4 different numbers: 37, 24, 13 and 67. More likely a lot or manufacturing facility number of some sort. Mold number. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/10 "2015-08-19T19:13:00Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Mold number. That makes sense. Good. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/11 "2015-08-19T19:19:04Z")
I worked as a supervisor at a small plastics blow molding company a long time ago. We were all about the high margin custom limited runs and maxed our at 2-3 hed machines that made 2-3 parts per cycle. The major companies in the market tended to run 16+ head machines for smaller size parts. Even with our small capacity some of our molds for the multihead machines were marked. It made diagnosing and fixing quality issues easier. In the period where I still automatically paid too much attention to bottle quality, I saw a lot of markings that seemed to be nothing but internal use. Are there ever numbers different than 8? ---
**Author:** ![Kbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Kbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kbot)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/12 "2015-08-19T19:27:58Z")
Thanks for the replies. I opened other cases and found bottles with different numbers on them, 11, 29 etc. Must be a manufacturer code. The paper label of the water company has a recycling symbol on it but no number. Well…Just called the water company and they didn’t have a clue what type of plastic is used to put their water in. They said they will check and get back with me. I will post my findings. Lucky hydrating. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/13 "2015-08-19T21:53:39Z")
> [@Kbot](#): > > Well…Just called the water company and they didn’t have a clue what type of plastic is used to put their water in. They said they will check and get back with me. > I will post my findings. > Lucky hydrating. I’m gonna tender a guess of polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE). Primary plastic used for water bottles and carbonated soft drink bottles. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-bottle-safe/728272/14 "2015-08-19T22:23:51Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Maybe it’s sideways and it’s actually infinity gallons. > > –Mark From the rather famous [Klein Manufacturing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klein_bottle)?