Hmmm...

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... I feel like this kind of issue sometimes gets pushed aside when the science threatens corporate interests... it's no surprise to me that Canada is taking action on this and the US is dragging its feet:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/business/worldbusiness/16plastic.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I wish that public health agencies (like FDA) were less influenced by politics (one way or the other) and money (FDA is funded by Congress and I believe officials are appointed to serve "at the pleasure of the president', so between reps (of either party) who have lobbyists to answer to and White House ideologues, lots of opportunity for the interests of science and public health to be frustrated).

[Pax]

Along those same lines, Canada outlawed hydrogenated oils a long time ago...here it's still pervasive in our food. :mad:

[firenze11]

I'm really glad they're doing this. According to the news last night, a lot of companies up here have already started to take the bottles off the shelves. I really thought just about everyone knew about the BPA problems but not so much. I spoke to my friend today and she was telling me that her bottle, one of brands w/ BPA, was starting to smell funny and she was going to throw it out. I was really surprised she was still using it considering how much it has been in the news lately. Then I found out she doesn't read/watch the news at all :rolleyes:

The only problem I've had after getting rid of mine over a year ago is that I drink less. For some reason I drink a lot more when I can see how much I have to drink.

[OakLeaf]

Trouble I'm having is 5-gallon glass bottles are so... freakin.... heavy (even when they're empty!) - and hard to get, also. Three-gallon glass bottles are nonexistent AFAIK.

I know, I know, talk to DH about us living year-round someplace where water is not only plentiful, but also safer out of the tap than filtered water in a polycarbonate bottle.

[Zen]

There was a segment on NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89695229) about that this afternoon. It's also in the lining of infant formula cans.

[kelownagirl]

Along those same lines, Canada outlawed hydrogenated oils a long time ago...here it's still pervasive in our food. :mad:

We did? We still have hydrogenated fats in our food.

[kelownagirl]

So do ALL bottles have the chemical in them? Of not, how do you know which ones do and which ones don't?

[Grog]

Canada is working on banning trans fats but it's not there yet (and there are huge challenges). I don't think it's quite the same...

[OakLeaf]

So do ALL bottles have the chemical in them? Of not, how do you know which ones do and which ones don't?

Assume polycarbonate contains bP-A unless it's advertised as bP-A free.

[Mr. Bloom]

I understand where you're coming from...but labeling or no labeling - publicity can still have the same impact.

Consider how diets changed before the "food pyramid" changed...(and how bogus the food pyramid remains to this day...)

[Jolt]

The only problem I've had after getting rid of mine over a year ago is that I drink less. For some reason I drink a lot more when I can see how much I have to drink.

Nalgene makes the same style of bottles from another type of plastic (UVPE, which, I believe, is HDPE with a UV inhibitor and has no known toxic-chemical issues). Look for the milky white ones; these are the UVPE. They have the same markings on the sides to show you how much you have in there ;). As an added bonus, if you're a backpacker, these bottles weigh less than the othehr kind.

[Pax]

We did? We still have hydrogenated fats in our food.

Really?? I have a Canadian co-worker who told me they been banned, I'll have to disabuse her of that notion.



...(and how bogus the food pyramid remains to this day...)
So true, I take it you've read The China Study and/or Eat To Live?

[kat_h]

Really?? I have a Canadian co-worker who told me they been banned, I'll have to disabuse her of that notion.

There were a lot of news stories around new years about trans-fats being phased out. Burger King had to change the type of fryer oil they used. Hydrogenated oils are still going strong though, at least according to the margarine container in my fridge.

[kat_h]

So do ALL bottles have the chemical in them? Of not, how do you know which ones do and which ones don't?

I think MEC was one of the first companies to stop selling the ones with the chemical, so if you're a MEC fan then just shop there. :)

[Tweet]

Mm. Well we'll see how great canada is when it becomes part of the north American Union and its laws and government are fused with that of the US and Mexico.

[GLC1968]

Nalgene makes the same style of bottles from another type of plastic (UVPE, which, I believe, is HDPE with a UV inhibitor and has no known toxic-chemical issues). Look for the milky white ones; these are the UVPE. They have the same markings on the sides to show you how much you have in there ;). As an added bonus, if you're a backpacker, these bottles weigh less than the othehr kind.

I have two 20 year old Nalgene bottles that I bought for a backwoods trip in Wyoming in the late 80's. They are milky white and not the super clear that the newer bottles are...do we think these are pre-PBA bottles? Does anyone know if there is anyway to find out?

[kelownagirl]

I heard on the news this morning, that we should avoid bottles with a '7' in the recycle logo at the bottom of the bottle. I threw mine out today. I don't like those hard bottles anyway. I need something I can squeeze and that has a pop top lid.

I found this.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, allows manufacturers to make a rigid and translucent product known as polycarbonate plastic, often - but not always - identified by a triangle surrounding the number 7. In canned food and beverages, especially acidic vegetables and fruits, BPA-resin liners stop the contents from eroding the metal container.

Canadian retailers have been pulling bottles from the shelves since the announcement was made. They clearly won't be waiting for the ruling to come down.

[firenze11]

Nalgene makes the same style of bottles from another type of plastic (UVPE, which, I believe, is HDPE with a UV inhibitor and has no known toxic-chemical issues). Look for the milky white ones; these are the UVPE. They have the same markings on the sides to show you how much you have in there ;). As an added bonus, if you're a backpacker, these bottles weigh less than the othehr kind.

Thanks so much Jolt. I didn't know they made these kinds! I'm excited see what I'm drinking again! I swear, Nalgene bottles were some kind of right of passage at my Uni. It seemed like everyone and their Mom had one hanging off their backpack or sitting on their desk.

I went on the Nalgene site yesterday to shop around and apparently they're making BPA-free hard plastic bottles. Other companies also make them like Camelbak and Aladdin. The new plastic is called Eastman Tritan copolyester.

[Brandi]

Some months ago my dh told me about this and asked me to throw out and stop using any polycarbonate bottle. How is it he knew about this so long ago? I had a nalgen bottle next to my bed for a couple years. My cat's drink my water if it is in a glass so I started keeping a water bottle by the bedside instead.
I am using sig bottle's now that i got from the healthfood store. i believe I only paid $10.00 per. I so miss the nozzle part of the bottle though. I have to twist the cap off these bottle's.
What scares me even more that this is the first we have heard about the canned foods having this problem too. Leave it to Canada to be first on this one!

[Jolt]

I have two 20 year old Nalgene bottles that I bought for a backwoods trip in Wyoming in the late 80's. They are milky white and not the super clear that the newer bottles are...do we think these are pre-PBA bottles? Does anyone know if there is anyway to find out?

I'm pretty sure from your description that they are non-BPA--they sound just like the kind I'm using. You can look for the recycling symbol on the bottom and if it's number 2 (instead of number 7) it's the HDPE/UVPE that is not made with BPA and was, I think, the original material Nalgene used for all their bottles.

[Jolt]

What scares me even more that this is the first we have heard about the canned foods having this problem too. Leave it to Canada to be first on this one!

Yeah, I think the canned foods are most likely a bigger problem than the bottles. Hopefully manufacturers of cans will act quickly now as well, to get rid of BPA. Maybe they should all go back to glass jars instead of metal cans--then they wouldn't need a liner!

[KnottedYet]

nalgene has a nice site with a list of which containers do and don't have BpA and phlatates.

http://www.nalgenechoice.com/index.html

All made in the USA.

I've been a Nalgene fan since my lab-rat days in the early 80's. If the pretty polycarb bottles turn out to be bad news, I'll just turn mine into geocaches or storage for non-edibles and buy a new Nalgene to drink from.

ETA: this is my favorite bike bottle. No cooties, and it's clear and sexy. http://www.somafab.com/bottle.html I've had a few for a couple years and they're all still going strong.... except the one my dog chewed up.

[OakLeaf]

I'd like to know something more about this Tritan copolyester that's the new material for Camelbak bottles, too.

And microwaving... are there any plastics that are safe to microwave? At this point I'm okay with nuking PP, am I being dumb?

-Oak, looking at 3-gallon glass carboys and not even considering glass carry bottles, thinking that in my late 40s I probably won't live long enough to experience the health effects of plastics I'm using now, and wishing that the alternatives to plastic weren't both heavy and fragile...

[Jolt]

I'd like to know something more about this Tritan copolyester that's the new material for Camelbak bottles, too.

And microwaving... are there any plastics that are safe to microwave? At this point I'm okay with nuking PP, am I being dumb?

-Oak, looking at 3-gallon glass carboys and not even considering glass carry bottles, thinking that in my late 40s I probably won't live long enough to experience the health effects of plastics I'm using now, and wishing that the alternatives to plastic weren't both heavy and fragile...

Yeah, I hope the Tritan doesn't turn out to be bad (especially since my mom bought a couple of the new Camelbak bottles for herself and my dad because the EMS store we were at didn't carry the Nalgene UVPE bottles). As for microwaving, I wonder about that myself--I occasionally put PP containers in the microwave as well since that's the only practical thing to do when bringing food to school that needs to be heated. At home I usually dump things into a glass bowl before zapping them, since that's probably the best thing to do. As far as the glass containers I agree with you about not even considering them for carrying! They're OK for in the fridge at home but that's about it. Especially given that I hike etc. and not only is glass HEAVY (so is stainless steel for that matter, so that's another type of container that won't be in my pack), but water containers occasionally get dropped and end up bouncing down a rocky slope for some distance :D. For that application I think the white Nalgene bottles are probably one of the better choices since they're BPA free and have been around a while without apparent problems.