Questions about B.P.A. and Nalgene bottles

[Whiteman]

This from the NY Times this evening: Canada is on the verge of declaring bisphenol-A (B.P.A.) "toxic" because of disruptions in hormonal systems in animals, and "some concern" about neural and behavioral changes in humans who consume B.P.A. B.P.A. is used to make plastic bottles, including Nalgene bottles. The American Chemistry Council feels there is no cause for concern.

NY Times Article

Kinda makes you think twice about microwaving those Nalgene bottles, eh?

 

[Tom Rankin]

Kinda makes you think twice about microwaving those Nalgene bottles, eh?

This has been beaten quite soundly, if not to death!

http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21634

 

[Tim Seaver]

What Tom Said

 

[Kevin Rooney]

According to an article I just read on Market Watch, "CamelBak said it will have a BPA-free line of reusable water bottles by the end of this month".

 

[cbcbd]

According to an article I just read on Market Watch, "CamelBak said it will have a BPA-free line of reusable water bottles by the end of this month".

Last week they were already arriving at the shelves - with big "BPA Free" stickers on them:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_...older_id=2534374302875756&bmUID=1208320346082

 

[Raymond]

We saw them a couple Saturdays ago at the EMS in Nashua, but as there’s no number at all on the bottom, we went with the soft plastic CamelBaks (Number 4) instead. I look forward to learning more about them, however: The 4s are kind of small.

I suppose the safest would be a glass-lined Thermos® bottle. Come to think of it, the first real hike I ever went on, that’s what I carried. While descending the mountain, I hitched my backpack up onto my shoulders and the bottle flew out like a missile, soared over my head, and landed with a crash a few feet in front of me. And that was the end of that Thermos® bottle.

Another early hike I was on, with an AMC group, somebody dropped his bottle. He shook it back and forth, heard the shuka-shuka-shuka of busted glass inside, then for some reason opened the bottle and dumped the glass out onto the trail. The co-leader came back and bawled him out, then made him pick up the glass and lots of surrounding leaves and detritus and stuff it all into his pack and carry it out.

 

[Chip]

I'll look the next time I need one, but it's not a major concern. I drink tea out of an old dunkin donuts travel mug, eat soup and salad out of reused chinese food containers, eat sandwiches out of ziplock bags, drink water out of reused plastic water bottles, my tooth brush is plastic, the food processor I make my morning smoothie in is plastic, the containers I store the extra smoothie in is plastic, my milk and OJ jugs are plastic, most of the fresh food I buy is packaged in plastic...The stress associated with running out to EMS will probably do me more harm than my nalgenes.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I did a search at REI on "BPA-free" and found a large number of bottles. Looks like the manufacturers have stopped using it. I noticed that water bladders were not displayed, so perhaps that chemical was never used in their manufacture?

 

[giggy]

this worries me much more:

100.00 USD = 62.7387 EUR

 

[DougPaul]

I did a search at REI on "BPA-free" and found a large number of bottles. Looks like the manufacturers have stopped using it. I noticed that water bladders were not displayed, so perhaps that chemical was never used in their manufacture?

Looks like the hits are basically equivalent to HDPE or metal* water bottles.

Polycarbonate seems to be the current "bad guy"--certainly the biggest in hiking water bottles.

The issue hit the local (Boston) TV news (again) last evening...
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/15247647/detail.html
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/15241014/detail.html

* Some metal containers have linings or inside coatings that contain BPA. eg some "tin" cans.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...Some metal containers have linings or inside coatings that contain BPA. eg some "tin" cans.

I think that's the larger story. Many point out that the amount of BPA ingested via water bottles is too low to have any impact. However, the overall amount of BPA in our food supply could be much higher.

Rather than argue/debate the issue, just get rid of it.

 

[spencer]

this worries me much more:

100.00 USD = 62.7387 EUR

tell me about it! How am I supposed to take Mrs. Spencer to a class at le Cordon Bleu for her birthday after trekking around Mont Blanc?

More on topic - have any of you folks who were sipping from Nalgene's way back when and then reproduced ever had an estrogen-related reproduction abnormality?

 

[griffin]

or, if you prefer smiley-style:

I noticed some of the Sigg metal bottles are being advetised as BPA-free, despite the coating. Anyone know or want to guess why they don't use the sigg-type coating on other cans? Too expensive?

 

[DougPaul]

I think that's the larger story. Many point out that the amount of BPA ingested via water bottles is too low to have any impact. However, the overall amount of BPA in our food supply could be much higher.

Many, if not most, Americans have measurable BPA in their blood. I have no idea how much comes from each source and if the levels are high enough to cause ill effects. It is possible that it is more hazardous to the young than to adults.

Rather than argue/debate the issue, just get rid of it.

That is easy to say, but there may be commercial and practical incentives for keeping it (one has to be able to carry water in something practical for the application). And the evidence linking to to problems is not in yet--we can't afford to throw out anything that contains a reported hazard. (Remember, drinking too much water will kill you too... Should we ban it?)

It would be nice if everything were fully tested before putting it on the market, but that is pragmatically impossible. Unfortunately, manufacturers act as if there were constitutional rights for chemicals (ie they are ok until proven toxic) and the health freaks panic at any report (reliable or not) of a hazard.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

More on topic - have any of you folks who were sipping from Nalgene's way back when and then reproduced ever had an estrogen-related reproduction abnormality?

I've read that Americans have poor quality sperm (low percentage of viable sperm). Perhaps exposure to too many estrogen mimics is a factor.

Doug

 

[Dugan]

I think that's the larger story. Many point out that the amount of BPA ingested via water bottles is too low to have any impact. However, the overall amount of BPA in our food supply could be much higher.

Rather than argue/debate the issue, just get rid of it.

That's where I stand with it. I used to live on a pond. Each spring I'd see warning signs go up that pregnant women should not eat more than 3 fish from the pond due to mercury contamination. Well... if pregnant women shouldn't eat it, should anyone, really? Did I really want to continue eating the produce of a local farmer who watered his crops from the pond?

I understand that the amount of BPA from a water bottle is truly insignificant. However, when added to the tons of other "safe in insignificant" quantities of chemicals that we are exposed to, it is my choice to limit what I can, when I can.

 

[DougPaul]

I understand that the amount of BPA from a water bottle is truly insignificant. However, when added to the tons of other "safe in insignificant" quantities of chemicals that we are exposed to, it is my choice to limit what I can, when I can.

The amount of BPA from a water bottle is small, but I don't know if it has significant long-term effects or is a problem for the very young. I believe that is still under scientific debate.

As a consumer, one can only try to stay away from known or suspected hazards, try not to substitute something worse, and hope for the best. But even drinking water contains traces of drugs and assorted man-made chemicals including agricultural chemicals, caffene, birth control drugs, and cocaine* (or their break-down products). And, of course, well and surface water also picks up chemicals along the way. (There are plenty of poisons in nature as well as man-made ones.) I suppose the next step is drinking distilled water... Yuk! (It has a very flat taste.)

* One of the better ways to estimate a region's cocaine usage is to measure the amount in the sewage...

Doug

 

[bcskier]

The Alligators of Lake Apopka

I've read that Americans have poor quality sperm (low percentage of viable sperm). Perhaps exposure to too many estrogen mimics is a factor.

Doug

Appropos of this possibility you might want to look at this story:

Alligators of Lake Apopka

bcskier

 

[Lou Hale]

Rather than argue/debate the issue, just get rid of it.

Agree 100%. I had the BPA debate with my wife when we selected baby bottles, i said well why risk it when for $20 more we can buy BPA free bottles. I guess the BPA can be really harmful to developing baby boys.

Same logic applies to our nalgine bottles and driving to NH to hike in mud season. why risk it when alternatives are readily available