I’m sure we all have heard something or the other on this. Personally I could care less, but I thought about it today when I ordered a couple of bottles from Nashbar with my order. I actually really hate “fear” news like this and avoid most news all together because it. However I read a couple of reports and it seems the research does have some solid findings.
What do you think? Nalgene vs. bike bottles vs. baby bottles vs. bottled water bottles? Freezing, heating, dishwasher (very hot steam)? Will you look for water bottles only without BPA chemicals. I heard Nalgene is phasing out all BPA bottles.
I did send an email to Nashbar with my questions about their generic bottle (which i love, cheap, great grip and no leak) and they forwarded it to their technical department. I’ll post the info. when I hear back.
Wife and I saw a story on local news about BPA and plastic bottles in which they said to check recycling codes on the bttom of the bottle/container (number inside a triangle). Containers or bottles with #3 (Vinyl or PVC) and #6 PS (polystyrene) were the worst as they can leech carcinogens. Bottles with codes #2 (high-density polyethylene), #4 (low-density polyethylene), and #5 (polypropylene) are considered among the best, but according to the FAQ on the Camelbak website, despite the warnings on the 20/20 report, recycling code #7 does not always mean the bottle contains BPA. We typically replace our water bottles annually from Hammer Nutrition but this year decided to splurge and we bought a case (12) of Camelbak Podium bottles which are tad more expensive due to the new fangled twist shut/bite valve lids but are spec’d as BPA free.
Nalgene currently makes about a half-dozen different sports bottles, including ones made from stainless steel and also BPA-free plastics. Only one of its six bottle types includes BPA. Customers who wish to buy BPA-free sports bottles before Nalgene’s phase-out is complete can visit the Nalgene Choice website to learn more about Nalgene’s current BPA-free options.
I think I won’t take the bet that it’s harmless…
Most bike bottles however are not polycarbonate, so should be OK. Nonetheless all the Nalgenes in the house are getting pitched out and replaced with those much-derided stainless steel bottles.
“However I read a couple of reports and it seems the research does have some solid findings.”
Depends who wrote the reports…
All this BPA stuff is fear-mongering BS by the media.
Well I’ve been at scientific conferences when data relating BPAs to health risks has been presented. Now it may end up that they don’t present any significant health risks to humans, but to say “All…fear-mongering BS by the media” would seem to be getting a bit ahead of the game. Unless, that is, you possess particular knowledge about this issue and would be willing to share it here?
I agree, BPA is one of many things we fear monger about. I personally love tap water, couldn’t tell the taste difference between tap, bottles, or bathtub, so I just drink it. I was in Afghanistan for 4 months so usually I just rationalize everything by considering the fact that everything is worse there and in many other countries.
Here is the reply about the Nashbar bottles from their product support group:
The Nashbar waterbottles are LDPE (recycling code 4) and do not contain BPA. BPA is usually only found in hard plastic bottles.
They included some 3rd party links, that I found interesting. Most suggest humans are fine with the levels present liquids contained within BPA plastic bottles.
I agree, BPA is one of many things we fear monger about.
I drink tap water out of bottles that I have no idea whether they contain BPAs or not and I’m not going to check. That has nothing to do with making a statement such as “it’s all media fear-mongering BS” when there does appear to at least be some good reasons to think otherwise. It may turn out there are no risks it may turn out there are some signficant risks, the poster’s statement implies he knows for some reason the former is definitively true and from what little I’ve seen I don’t think that is where we are in our knowledge on this subject.
If you want to better understand all of this controversy, follow the money trail. The big push to have BPA classified as a major human health risk is being funded by personal injury lawyers, who have their eye on a huge class action lawsuit (think the tobacco cases). There is no consensus within the scientific community about whether they pose health risks or not, and there’s certainly no smoking gun. If people were more logical about the things they spent their time worrying about, they’d be much more up-in-arms about things like exposures to vehicle exhaust and lead paint in old homes. But those topics aren’t as fun to write about, so we end up with stuff like this. Your risks are MUCH higher of getting killed riding your bike than they are from drinking from a BPA-containing water bottle.
There is no consensus within the scientific community about whether they pose health risks or not, and there’s certainly no smoking gun.
Right, so we don’t know if it’s all BS or not. Very well may be, but then again some reasons to think otherwise. There’s nothing wrong with sitting on the fence in the face of ignorance rather than claiming unfounded certitude.
going to start carrying around a kleen kanteen for my daily runaround hydration. i think minimizing plastic chemicals that leach into the water sure cant hurt.
going to switch to glass/rubber topped tupperware, and those horribly scratched non-stick pans are going to get chucked too.
probably too late for you & i, but i sure wish i would have been more careful with the plastic bottle liners for our two kids.
Good article. I really only have so much time in life to spend investigating things that are/will be harmful to me. So I guess we pick and choose our battles. I figure if I can avoid the obvious BPA risks I will and buy non-BPA bottles, not to much time and energy consumed in doing that.
But that article also brings out a good point. My buddy’s mother doesn’t exercise, is very over weight, and smokes. She came over to my house the other week and was going on this big speech about how she doesn’t drink the city tap water anymore because it has stuff in it that will harm her, etc. etc. I only told her that I actually went on a tour of the city water plant back in college and got the full run down and based on what I saw there it seems very safe to me.
What I didn’t say was why in the heck she was so concerned about the city water when her biggest concern should be lung cancer and the 1,000 other ailments that will be a direct result of no exercise, being over weight, and eating poorly. It’s important to focus on the “big things first” then pick your small battles after that.
