Water
bottles getting new scrutiny for chemical makeup
STRIPED METAL: Sigg, an
aluminum water bottle is becoming popular as the debate
continues over Nalgene water bottles. / Photo by
Jenny Lund
By Jennifer Lund
November 17, 2006 | There's something in the water
of your Nalgene bottle -- or there could be, say some
organizations including the Sierra Club.
The scare surfaced in 2003 when Dr. Patricia Hunt,
a geneticist, published her findings from an accidental
discovery during an experiment on birth defects in mice.
According to the Sierra Club Web site, Hunt was researching
the causes of chromosomal abnormalities in mice. During
the experiment, Hunt's assistant washed the cage with
a very strong detergent. Suddenly, nearly half of the
mice eggs developed chromosomal abnormalities. This
then led Hunt to discover the source, which she concluded
was a result of the cage's polycarbonate plastic, the
same plastic some popular Nalgene water bottles are
made of.
Hunt reproduced the experiment citing Bisphenol-A (BPA)
as the cause for the defects. According to the Sierra
Club Web site, BPA, which mimics the hormone estrogen,
"can impair the reproductive organs of rats and
mice, reduce sperm counts in rats, and bring about changes
in tissue that resemble early-stage breast cancer, among
other effects."
Nalge Nunc International, the maker of Nalgene water
bottles, says on its Web site that as a responsible
manufacturer of polycarbonate consumer products, it
has monitored scientific research about the safety of
their products and BPA.
"Based on the findings of the Food and Drug Administration,
The Environmental Protection Agency, The American Plastics
Council and other reliable sources from around the world,
we continue to firmly believe in the safety of our products,"
the company says on its site.
The Sierra Club Web site states that a separate study
conducted by Environmental Health Perspectives "detected
leaching from new polycarbonate plastic." In addition
some researchers believe that harsh sunlight and heavy
washing of Nalgene water bottles can break down their
plastic leading to possible leaching.
Sharon Dugger, the owner of Girls Outdoors in Bozeman,
Mont., sells some Nalgene products in her store but
is seeing even more success with another water bottle
made by the company Sigg.
"Sigg makes an aluminum water bottle and that's
been really popular with a lot of people and I think
there's quite a few articles out there right now touting
the difference in Nalgene vs. aluminum," she says.
"I have people come in every week specifically
looking for Sigg water bottles."
As the debate continues, with proponents on both sides,
some, like myself, can't possibly imagine parting with
their Nalgene. It must be noted that not all Nalgene
bottles, especially older ones, are made with the plastic
in question and consumers should definitely do their
research before giving up on their favorite water bottle.
For more information go to nalgene-outdoor.com
and sierraclub.org.mik
MS
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