While you thought it was a good idea to keep a water bottle in your car during a heat wave, it’s actually a very bad habit. A simple plastic bottle (full or half-empty) can cause a fire in the vehicle. Dioni Amuchastegui, a battery technician from the United States, unfortunately knows this from experience. When he left a bottle with only a few drops of water inside, he was faced with the unpleasant surprise of finding his car full of smoke. And the man quickly made the connection: after retrieving the bottle, he noticed that he had two burnt holes on his leather seat. His car was charred as a result of an unfortunate chemical reaction.
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Do not drink from a water bottle which has been heated by the sun
The scientific explanation is quite simple: light reflects off the plastic of the bottle, which makes it heat up. The heat is so strong that it transfers to the seat and sets off the burning. And a small flame is enough to burn the entire car. Of course, in order for that to happen the bottle needs to stay inside the car for a VERY long time and be largely exposed to sunlight. But this isn’t the only reason why it’s dangerous to leave an abandoned bottle in the car. Molecules which are created as a result are extremely toxic. So whatever you do don’t drink this water.
