Nalgene to phase out hard plastic bottles

[Bad JuJu]

I have a few of these as well, but what are the safe replacements besides the stainless steel?

That's my question--what do we use instead? I can't see myself drinking water out of a steel bottle two hours into a ride on a hot Saturday in July. And as far as I know, as someone else noted, the standard squeezable plastic bike bottles are even worse for us--you can even taste the plastic when you use those. Glass doesn't seem practical. My poor head!

[KnottedYet]

The Soma crystal bottles are BpA free, and don't mess with the taste of your stuff. http://www.somafab.com/bottle.html I have some pretty old and well-loved ones, and they are still fabulous.

And everything else Nalgene makes other than the polycarbonate bottles is BpA free. http://www.nalgenechoice.com/

Be careful with stainless and aluminum. Some brands are lined with BpA plastics. So if you are concerned about BpA, steer clear.

I haven't thrown out my PC bottle yet. I'm thinkin' geocache, first aid kit, bike part container... or drinking from it.

[Melalvai]

Knotted, I think the Wikipedia article on BPA is reasonably accurate. You are right to be leary of media going head over heels one way, and industry propaganda the other way.

I will say that industry was over-represented on the National Toxicology Program report saying "negligible concern". As soon as the studies showing low-dose effects started coming out, the plastics industry launched a campaign to discredit that research. The tactics they used were fascinating, and ultimately doomed, it appears.

I do not believe that BPA poses a significant threat to adults. Fetal exposure to BPA causes reproductive problems in adulthood. That's why it's hard to detect the effects; they show up so long after the exposure. BPA bioaccumulates so the dose you get as a child from eating canned food will hang around until you are pregnant, and affect your child.

[Jolt]

I haven't thrown out my PC bottle yet. I'm thinkin' geocache, first aid kit, bike part container... or drinking from it.

I tried the first aid kit idea with one of mine, actually. The only problem with it is that it's hard to get things out easily--you end up having to dump it all out and some things sort of get stuck (4x4 gauze pads etc.).

[boy in a kilt]

Nalgene bottles seem like they'd be pretty dandy for cleaning chains in. Add solvent and chain, shake like hell, empty.

Since I don't have access to the actual journals, all I could read was abstracts and all I could glean from them is the jury is still out.

Kevin (SG's brother) is 3/4 right about not heating stuff in plastic containers. I did a quick scan of the net and found government agencies in the UK, Singapore and the US saying that single-use plastic and polystyrene containers are not suitable for heating/reheating food.

It may be my cantankerous upbringing but I don't trust the media to give me an unbiased view of what is going on. The popular science magazines (Sci Am, New Scientist, Discover, etc.) do a good job because if they don't their readers will pillory them. The rest are just trying to sell advertising by hawking the horror of the day.

[OakLeaf]

I don't think that just because a plastic container won't physically melt all over your food (like polystyrene or polyethylene), it's necessarily safe in the microwave.

A few years ago DH brought home some polycarbonate Tupperware containers that were labeled as microwave-safe. Not knowing any better, I tried that once. It didn't melt, not one bit, but it released fumes that were so noxious I had to evacuate and ventilate the kitchen.

Just because polypro doesn't do either of those things, I'm not totally convinced that I can rely on its safety. Yes, I microwave it - with reservations, same as I still get my water in polycarbonate jugs. No, I don't trust either one of them.

[tulip]

I bought a couple of bottles of Pellegrino (glass bottles), and I happily drank the fancy bubbly water. Now I fill the bottles with regular tap water and use a wine bottle stopper and it works great. Glass is the way to go, and they only cost the price of a nice bottle of mineral water.

[7rider]

I bought a couple of bottles of Pellegrino (glass bottles), and I happily drank the fancy bubbly water. Now I fill the bottles with regular tap water and use a wine bottle stopper and it works great. Glass is the way to go, and they only cost the price of a nice bottle of mineral water.

They generally don't fit well, tho', in a bike's water bottle cage....