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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hi Exi, did you see my post come thru? It looked to me like it did. Below this is the message I posted:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=1351 height=1042 style='width:14.0729in;height:10.8541in' id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image001.png@01D9CB5D.020F1440"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Thx BillK. Only the first one of ChatGPT’s answers (shown below) is applicable in this case. The bottles were inside a canvas bag (so no light exposure (so no microbial growth)) and were not handled. The gas space didn’t change much (but the volume of the bottle changed by a lot (about 200 cc (so the bottles themselves appeared to be collapsed or crushed.)) The bottles were stored indoors (no significant temperature changes) with nothing on top of them, so they were not under pressure, no altitude changes, no handling. The bottles were on their sides, so the caps were submerged the entire time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Conclusion: these teenage bottles demonstrated water diffuses thru PVC over time. I was at a tragically advanced age when I first learned that was even a possibility. So cool! Had you wagered me on this before yesterday, I woulda lost that bet, arguing that water does not diffuse thru plastic, and certainly not at a perfectly consistent rate. Well, it does. Now I have a most remarkable example of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black'><img width=38 height=38 style='width:.3958in;height:.3958in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D9CB5D.020F1440" alt=User><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none'>why do plastic water bottles lose water and shrink over time<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:#19C37D'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none'>ChatGPT<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none'>Plastic water bottles can appear to lose water and shrink over time due to a combination of factors:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ol style='margin-top:0in' start=1 type=1><li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;border:solid #D9D9E3 1.0pt;padding:0in;mso-ligatures:none'>Permeability</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>: Plastic is a porous material, albeit on a very small scale. Over time, tiny molecules of water vapor can pass through the plastic walls of the bottle. This is called permeability. As water molecules slowly escape through the plastic, the overall volume of water inside the bottle decreases, causing the bottle to appear to shrink.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;border:solid #D9D9E3 1.0pt;padding:0in;mso-ligatures:none'>Gas Exchange</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>: Oxygen and other gases in the air can also pass through the plastic to some extent. This can result in a slight change in the internal pressure of the bottle, which may contribute to the appearance of the bottle "collapsing" or shrinking.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;border:solid #D9D9E3 1.0pt;padding:0in;mso-ligatures:none'>Temperature Changes</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>: Temperature fluctuations can affect the plastic's properties, including its permeability and flexibility. If the temperature drops, the plastic may contract slightly, causing the bottle to appear to shrink.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;border:solid #D9D9E3 1.0pt;padding:0in;mso-ligatures:none'>Microbial Growth</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>: If there are any contaminants or impurities present in the water, such as microorganisms, they could potentially consume some of the water and release gases, leading to a decrease in the water volume and a change in the internal pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;border:solid #D9D9E3 1.0pt;padding:0in;mso-ligatures:none'>Handling and Squeezing</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>: Repeatedly squeezing or pressing the bottle can also cause it to deform slightly, making it appear to have lost water. This is especially noticeable if the plastic is flexible and the pressure exerted on the bottle is significant.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none'>It's worth noting that while these factors can contribute to the perception of water loss and shrinkage in plastic water bottles, the actual amount of water lost is usually very small and may not be noticeable in the short term. Additionally, the extent to which these factors affect the bottle's appearance can vary depending on the type of plastic used, the quality of manufacturing, and the conditions in which the bottle is stored.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>Top of Form<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>