When I first started my search for the best reusable bottle for our school fundraiser in the fall of 2007, I came across warnings about a variety of chemicals that could leach out of various types of bottles into drinks. Some claims seemed far fetched – especially the one about plastic bottles that are put in the freezer, but some claims seemed legitimate. Digging a little deeper, I found credible scientific sources who concluded that Bisphenol A (BPA) can leach out of plastic and is not a good chemical to ingest, even in small concentrations. BPA is a hormone disruptor that can affect the reproductive system and the nervous system, especially in children and infants. I quickly ruled out any plastic bottle that contained BPA – at the time, all Nalgene and Camelback bottles.
After eliminating the hard plastic (polycarbonate) bottles to avoid BPA, I considered the metal bottles: aluminum and stainless steel. Aluminum bottles have to be lined with something because aluminum is reactive. We steered away from Sigg because their bottles had openings too narrow for ice cubes and proper washing and drying. But we were also concerned about that liner. What was it made of? Would it wear and crack with use or abuse? Little did I imagine that Sigg’s aluminum bottles actually contained BPA and they were keeping that information from consumers while the BPA concern was growing! Ultimately, we chose stainless steel because it’s non-reactive and doesn’t need a liner. Stainless steel has also been around for decades and hasn’t been found to leach anything harmful into drinks.
Fast forward to 2009 – some reusable bottle companies have come up with a new type of hard plastic that doesn’t contain BPA and Sigg can now line their bottles with a liner that doesn’t have BPA, but you know what? I’m not sure I am willing to trust that this new plastic bottle and new liner are any better and that the companies would admit it if they weren’t better. Given Sigg’s years of misinformation about BPA, I’m just not sure anymore, so I’m sticking with stainless steel reusable bottles! Naturally, BPA-free!
5 comments
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September 18, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Shannon
This is very good to know; I will keep this in mind when buying plastics. thanks
September 18, 2009 at 10:07 pm
cheap textbooks
Great advice! thanks
October 17, 2009 at 11:43 pm
naptimewriting
Wish I had used your logic long ago when I picked Sigg instead of stainless steel. Kicking myself and really hoping to shake this Sigg-directed anger because it’s not doing me any good.
March 3, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Gerri
So…what did you end up using for a fundraiser?
March 3, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Lydia
We chose stainless steel bottles. It was a difficult decision because they are more expensive than plastic, but plastic bottles can get stained, leaky, or moldy in no time. In the end, we went with a high quality durable stainless steel bottle that would last for years rather than a bottle that could be perceived as cheap/disposable junk. The best aluminum bottles were more expensive and not really as good because they need a liner that could be damaged with wear. We’ve been quite happy with our choice of stainless steel bottles – and we’ve facilitated quite a few fundraisers since then!