Water Bottles, Bisphenol-A, and Phthalates

ByJolene Park

I recently received this email.

“What is your take on BPA (Bisphenol-A) and water bottles? I am considering getting rid of all polycarbonate/#7 plastic bottles in my house like Nalgene because of the BPA leaching concern.”

Great question! But I didn’t have a great answer.

Personally I have used these polycarbonate bottles for quite some time.

But, I’ve seen people using these stainless steel water bottles more and more.

I have heard about plastic concerns and I thought Polycarbonate bottles were a good alternative.

I decided to investigate further, I went to Ideal Bite, one of my Healthy Discoveries, and they said; “Polycarbonate plastic used in bottles by Nalgene and other companies leaches bisphenol-A, which is linked to birth defects, miscarriage, and prostate cancer.”

However, as soon as they posted that they got numerous comments like this; “Could you point us to definitive research that says Bisphenol-A is leaching from Nalgene bottles? I can see that glass and stainless steel would be pretty safe but why not Nalgene?

IdealBite responded with their list of sources:

Science Daily – Bisphenol-A On Trial

Environmental Working Group– A Survey of Bisphenol-A in U.S. Canned Foods

The Green Guide– The Bisphenol-A Debate: A Suspect Chemical in Plastic Bottles and Cans

WWF-UK– Children are at risk from Bisphenol-A, a chemical which affects the hormone system of humans and other mammals

Someone else wrote into IdealBite, with this link to John Hopkins Medical Center. John Hopkins dispels the myths of dioxins in plastic but says this about phthalates; “Phthalates are environmental contaminants that can exhibit hormone-like behavior by acting as endocrine disruptor’s in humans and animals.” Phthalates are found in plastics.

I continued searching and I found this disturbing interview on NPR about The Hidden Dangers of Plastics.

Okay, I have decided to stop using polycarbonate plastic bottles. This morning I bought this new stainless steel water bottle.

What about you? Which water bottles do you use?

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