Reused plastic water bottles in hot cars release dioxins
| Reused plastic water bottles in hot cars release dioxins | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Plastic water bottles left in a hot car or frozen release dioxins that cause breast cancer; singer Sheryl Crow's oncologist said this caused her cancer." | |
| Domain | Consumer Products & Everyday Life |
| Tactic | Fabrication Imposture |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2004 |
| Origin | A chain email circulating from about 2004, falsely attributed to Sheryl Crow and Johns Hopkins |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Consumer Products & Everyday Life | |
A widely forwarded email claimed that plastic water bottles release dioxins when heated in cars or frozen, and that Sheryl Crow's breast cancer was linked to drinking from bottles left in the heat. Scientists at Johns Hopkins, named in some versions, said the claim was false. Dioxins are formed by combustion and industrial processes and are not present in water bottle plastic.
The claim
The email urged readers to stop drinking from bottles left in cars.
What the evidence shows
- No dioxins. Dioxins form when materials burn at high temperatures. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles do not contain them.
- Johns Hopkins denial. A Johns Hopkins environmental health researcher publicly refuted the "freezing releases dioxins" version.
- Crow. The singer's representatives said she had not made the claim.
- Real questions. Studies have found small amounts of substances such as antimony can leach from PET at high temperatures, generally well below safety limits.
Sources
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, statement by Rolf Halden on dioxins and plastic bottles, 2004.
- Snopes, "Sheryl Crow Plastic Water Bottles."