Does antimony leach from PET plastic bottles and food packaging into food?

What's actually in it

Antimony trioxide is the catalyst used to manufacture polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET plastic. That's the plastic in most disposable water bottles, juice bottles, and a huge range of food packaging. It's marked with recycling number 1.

Antimony doesn't fully bind to the plastic. It stays as a residue and migrates out over time, faster when the plastic is warm or in contact with acidic or fatty foods.

What the research says

A 2026 review in J Endocr Soc called antimony a "cryptic metabolism disruptor" found throughout food contact materials. The review found antimony disrupts metabolic function and thyroid hormone signaling, effects that can occur at levels commonly found in everyday PET packaging.

Antimony is not the same as PFAS or BPA and doesn't get the same press, but it's in almost every plastic food container you can buy. Heat is the biggest risk factor: leaving a PET water bottle in a hot car, microwaving food in PET containers, or using old or scratched PET packaging all increase how much antimony migrates.

Glass, stainless steel, and ceramics don't have this problem. For food storage and beverages, they're the safer choice.