The summer heat should have you glugging lots of water but nevr reuse the disposable plastic bottles. Refilling those plastic bottles again and again could actually be harmful to your health, as per a new research.

According to scientists the ridges and tiny cracks in plastic bottles are a breeding ground for bacteria and can harbour dangerous germs, such as the norovirus. That's because the plastic bottle you're constantly replenishing isn't made to be re-filled - meaning it could have the potential to leach chemicals and harbour harmful bacteria.

In a study conducted by Treadmill Reviews, researchers lab-tested water bottles after each had been used by an athlete for a week and found that the highest number of bacteria reached over 900,000 colony forming units per square cm on average.

BPA-free water bottles may contain another harmful chemical

Due to public pressure – and bans in a few countries – many manufacturers have started replacing BPA. One substitute, fluorene-9-bisphenol, or BHPF, is already widely used in a variety of materials.

According to researchers it cause low uterine weight, and causes adverse pregnancy, even at doses lower than those of BPA for which no observed adverse effect have been reported.

Source: ZeeNews.India.com, NewScientist.com, TheSun.co.uk, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14585