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Could your Nalgene bottle give you cancer?
Nalgene bottles did for non-water drinkers what Harry Potter did to non-readers -- they made what was previously a chore into something easy and cool. I jumped on the Nalgene bottle bandwagon years ago -- I'm sort of a water addict. I crave water the way some people crave chocolate, and I drink upwards of a gallon a day. I have a water bottle with me at all times (right now it's on the floor next to my desk).But a Canadian outdoor-gear company, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), is pulling Nalgenes off its shelves due to research that indicates that the bottle's plastic material Lexan is toxic. MEC pulled other products off of it's shelves, but so far the Nalgene bottle boycott is getting the most media attention. Lexan, a brand name for
The Canadian group Environment Defence tested a sample of Canadians for toxic chemicals and found that every single person had bisphenol A in his or her blood. Yikes. MEC is keeping Lexan products off of its shelves until a study of the compound by the federal government is finished.
I switched to a stainless steel bottle last year, but still pull from my Nalgenes. I wonder what my bisphenol A levels are -- but I don't think I want to know.
Filed under: Gear, North America, Canada, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rosalie (www.sollight.com) Apr 30th 2008 7:05PM
Hi Catherine,
I'm Rosalie from SolLight (www.sollight.com) and I just wanted to make a recommendation in case any of your readers were wondering what they could do with their old polycarbonate water bottle, instead of throwing it away.
Thank you! :)
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR OLD POLYCARBONATE
WATER BOTTLE - TURN IT INTO A SOLAR LANTERN!
The last thing this planet needs is any more plastic in the landfills. But what do you do with your old polycarbonate water bottle (Nalgene or similar) that you don't want to use any more? Don't throw it away! With the incredibly handy LightCap200 you can turn your old (or new) bottle into the coolest home, deck, boat or camping lantern anywhere!
Just pull off the old cap and replace it with a safe, bright, environmentally-friendly solar-powered LED LightCap200 and you'll have light anywhere you want without wasteful batteries, dangerous, toxic fuel, or electric cords.
Put one on your picnic table, deck, out by the BBQ, kids playhouse, bedroom nightlight, car safety light, cockpit light on your boat, camper, tent or anywhere else. Simply fill your bottle with water (even colored water) for a safe lantern that won't run out of fuel or be a fire hazard. No candles to burn out, and when your bottle is filled with water it won't tip over if the wind comes up.
The built-in light sensor automatically turns the light on whenever it gets dark, and off when there's enough light for charging. Or you can click the water-tight switch and turn it off manually. It weights only 2.6oz and you can even use it as a flashlight. The four super-bright, white LEDs provide lots of light without giving off any heat or danger of chemicals in your water.
By adding a LightCap200 cap to your bottle you're not only creating a useful item, you're helping the environment. You can even use your bottle to store things: trail snacks, dog treats, fire starting supplies, first aid kit-anything you want to keep safe, floating and dry. With the LightCap200 on top, you've always got a useful emergency light.
The LightCap200 is just $19.95 and will last for many years of continuous use. They make a great gift and are available at many fine outdoor stores as well as at our website: www.sollight.com
jsinclair3000 Jun 13th 2008 1:05AM
To better understand the health hazards of food containers one must first understand the manufacturing process. The hazards of Nalgene products were discovered due to a better understanding of their manufacturing processes.
With continued focus on this issue and review of manufacturing of alternatives to Nalgene products, reveals similar concerns.
The lead content of stainless steel products activated by heat and cold extremes reveals that they are as safe as eating the chipped paint from a 1930's home. Resorting to glass or porcelain products exposes the user to formaldehyde levels of a pickled high school frog.
As a molecular engineer from California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, I fear that my duty to inform consumers nationwide of the fraud that is being perpetrated in replacing one hazardous material with another.
swemerica May 29th 2009 5:54PM
Hi JSinclair3000:
I agree with you 100%, which is the reason I am currently researching SAFE alternatives to plastic (not just Nalgene) bottles. And, I have had exactly the same concern as you're pointing out with stainless steel bottles. And, aluminum is not better + they are lined with resin (yet another harmful plastic material). I thus, as much as possible try to use glass, but that's not 100% safe either. And, most bottles you by, no matter material, have plastic, or silicone, on the inside of the cap. Soooo, as you have studied these things, what would you recommend as being the lesser of multiple evils, and hence the safest (albeit, of course not 100% safe) material for portable water bottles? Please advice!
Bobby Dec 9th 2007 12:38AM
This is getting a little ridiculous. Bisphenol A is in EVERYTHING, or so I've learned in my toxicology courses.
The can of coup you just opened is lined with that stuff on the inside. Why do you think the soup just slides out? It's also in your Evian plastic water bottles. The jar of peanut butter. It's everywhere...
Nick Hawkins Dec 9th 2007 10:45PM
Until people start dying in the streets by the hundreds because of this, continue to drink your water and live life.
Waking up daily is inherently hazardous to your health - so don't worry about things that have an infintessimal chance of harming you.
Megan Dec 9th 2007 11:50AM
Catherine please be careful with all that water! A gallon a day is WAY too much and is hazardous to your kidneys and can lead to multiple other problems. I had a friend go into a coma over this a few months ago, so maybe I'm being hypersensitive, but please, for the love of all that is holy, BE CAREFUL. 8 8oz glasses of water a day is all you need (that's half a gallon).
Wolfster Dec 10th 2007 4:47PM
How much water depends on all sorts of factors. If you live in the desert or are quite active you can need more than double the water of someone in different circumstances. Best way to get the right amount of water is to pay attention to your body - don't force it and don't slavishly follow someone else's formula.
Benjamin Dec 11th 2007 12:15AM
The stress on your heart of worrying about toxins in you water bottle might be even worse for you than the toxins themselves. If someone really could make a water bottle with the same features of a nalgene, indestructible, clear, light, volume, then i would buy it, but until then, im sticking with my 2 nalgenes, green and indigo,
BTW, i run over 50 miles a week, so in the summer with the hot weather, i really need more than half a gallon.
PS, nice harry potter analogy
Beth Dec 10th 2007 3:59PM
Catherine, its pretty ironic that the ads by google at the bottom of the page this is on is
"Quality Nalgene Bottles", at a great price.
Keep drinking as much water as you can handle.
Beth in Maltby