The higher the number in the triangle under the bottle the better the quality of plastic. Lower numbers mean that toxic substances easily leach into the liquid. It becomes a real problem when the plastic bottles are re-used. So don't re-use bottles with 1 to 4. As I understand it, as of 5 the plastic is stable.

If your public water is fluoridated, you are in trouble. There is no simple solution to the dilemma of which water filtration is best. Solid carbon block like Multi-Pure is best if there is no fluoride. Reverse osmosis is better at filtering out fluoride, but does not block pesticide residues. So I would prefer to get water from a spring or buy it.

I think that the use of plastic bottles should be totally disregarded as these are totally unhygienic and at the same time people do not follow the rule of discarding them after the single use! So there should be adequate steps taken to make proper use of them.

I am not a fan of plastic bottles either, but let's face it. we can hardly expect everyone to boycott them. Most people do not think much about healthy, ecological living, but those of us who do, want to learn as much as we can about these issues to live well in an unhealthy world.