Many people question if plastic containers are safe for water storage, and I had a minute to kill, and thought I would post what I've come to realize in my time working in the plastic packaging industry.
Most all plastic containers are "food grade" meaning they are safe for food storage and transport. Recycled resins typically aren't marketed as "food grade materials", but recycled resin is typically used in personal care lines and non-food industrial packaging.
Plastic Pails, both open head (common bucket) and tight head (water container/jug w/ a 70mm opening); are virtually all food safe, however the gaskets in the covers or caps may or may not be approved for use with food. Even if the gaskets in the lids aren't approved for use with food, you'd be hard pressed to find evidence of gaskets causing any ill effects to your water parameters.
Drums: I spoke with a rep from Grief recently, the largest drum manufacturer in N. America, and all of there drums that are blue, natural or white are "Food Safe". They also produce a black drum that is not graded for food safety, but even that product could be certified for food storage.
Reconditioned Drums: The arena becomes a bit gray on this issue as reputable reconditioned drum dealers typically know what the prior use of the drums were, and typically reconditions (for the most part, that means clean and maybe replace covers, bungs and lock rings) them to a level we could use them. You might still run across a reconditioned drum that still smells of pickles :yuk:which is more of a nuisance than a detriment.
It's important to remember that drums used for hazardous material are typically permanantly marked as such. Hazardous materials are commonly shipped in metal drums that are phenolic or epoxy lined, and much more expensive due to the heavy rigors of testing and re-certifying.
I recently met someone who went to prison for 3 years for shipping Hazmat material in non-approved containers. I wondered how long he had been doing it, and what happened to the used drums when he was finished. Hopefully they didn't end up at an unsuspecting or unscrupulous reconditioning shop and then sold to the general public. The FDA/UN Safety Board takes this very seriously in the industry, but even then, I'm certain a few incidences slip through the cracks.
But take heart! Worry less. UN Certification along with FDA regulations do a great job in protecting us and helps remove much of the doubt we have when using these containers.
Most all plastic containers are "food grade" meaning they are safe for food storage and transport. Recycled resins typically aren't marketed as "food grade materials", but recycled resin is typically used in personal care lines and non-food industrial packaging.
Plastic Pails, both open head (common bucket) and tight head (water container/jug w/ a 70mm opening); are virtually all food safe, however the gaskets in the covers or caps may or may not be approved for use with food. Even if the gaskets in the lids aren't approved for use with food, you'd be hard pressed to find evidence of gaskets causing any ill effects to your water parameters.
Drums: I spoke with a rep from Grief recently, the largest drum manufacturer in N. America, and all of there drums that are blue, natural or white are "Food Safe". They also produce a black drum that is not graded for food safety, but even that product could be certified for food storage.
Reconditioned Drums: The arena becomes a bit gray on this issue as reputable reconditioned drum dealers typically know what the prior use of the drums were, and typically reconditions (for the most part, that means clean and maybe replace covers, bungs and lock rings) them to a level we could use them. You might still run across a reconditioned drum that still smells of pickles :yuk:which is more of a nuisance than a detriment.
It's important to remember that drums used for hazardous material are typically permanantly marked as such. Hazardous materials are commonly shipped in metal drums that are phenolic or epoxy lined, and much more expensive due to the heavy rigors of testing and re-certifying.
I recently met someone who went to prison for 3 years for shipping Hazmat material in non-approved containers. I wondered how long he had been doing it, and what happened to the used drums when he was finished. Hopefully they didn't end up at an unsuspecting or unscrupulous reconditioning shop and then sold to the general public. The FDA/UN Safety Board takes this very seriously in the industry, but even then, I'm certain a few incidences slip through the cracks.
But take heart! Worry less. UN Certification along with FDA regulations do a great job in protecting us and helps remove much of the doubt we have when using these containers.
