http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HealthNutrition/water-bottles-which-one-should-you-use/
(Mar 17, 2008)
Commercially bottled water is a big eco no-no, but the big question is, what reusable bottle should you use?
For years, avid cyclist Paul Ditommaso has filled a reusable plastic water bottle under the kitchen tap and taken it with him on his two-hour-long biking hikes. "Reusable plastic bottles are great. The only problem is, you have to replace them about once a year when they get worn, scratched and it becomes harder to wash them well, but otherwise, what else are you going to use?" says the 46-year-old Oakville, Ont., resident who is a big advocate of a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle.
Good question
Choosing a reusable water
bottle is definitely a far smarter choice for the environment (and your pocketbook) than store-bought bottled water. Nonetheless, according to a 2006 Statistics Canada survey, three in 10 Canadian households opted for pre-packaged water, which is seriously bad news for our landfills, since an estimated 88 percent of water bottles -- typically made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) -- aren’t being recycled.
Landfill overflow
"Think about an outdoor musical or cultural event you’ve been to," says Aaron Freeman, policy director of Environmental Defence. "If you’re there at the end, think about what that place looks like and what’s strewn all across the grass: thousands of these bottles." Plastic isn’t fantastic.
The time NOT to recycle
It’s enough to make everyone with an eco conscience decide to reuse PET water bottles, refilling them with tap water over and over again.
Not a good idea. PET bottles are designed for one-time use only because they are difficult to clean properly. If you think that hot water will remove nasty bacteria, consider that plastic exposed to heat tends to leach chemicals.
In fact, leaching chemicals -- even without heat -- is a concern with plastic water bottles.
Polluted water
In 2006, Michael Krachler and Canadian-born William Shotyk of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry in Heidelberg, Germany, measured the amount of antimony -- which has been linked to nausea, dizziness and depression -- in 15 brands of bottled water from Canada and 48 from across Europe. They found up to 30 times more antimony in PET-bottled water than in water bottled in glass. They also found that the concentration of the chemical in PET bottles almost doubled after six months.
The two scientists believe this indicates the longer the water sits in PET bottles, the more the chemical leaches in, and although the antimony levels in PET bottles six months into the Heidelberg study remained well below the limits of Health Canada’s safety standards, the findings were significant enough for the scientists to say further research is warranted.
In Canada, there are currently no government best-before-date requirements, even though the Canadian Bottled Water Association uses two years as the recommended shelf life for bottled water.
Water bottles: which one should you use?
Image: http://www.sigg.ch/
For years, avid cyclist Paul Ditommaso has filled a reusable plastic water bottle under the kitchen tap and taken it with him on his two-hour-long biking hikes. "Reusable plastic bottles are great. The only problem is, you have to replace them about once a year when they get worn, scratched and it becomes harder to wash them well, but otherwise, what else are you going to use?" says the 46-year-old Oakville, Ont., resident who is a big advocate of a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle.
Good question
Choosing a reusable water
bottle is definitely a far smarter choice for the environment (and your pocketbook) than store-bought bottled water. Nonetheless, according to a 2006 Statistics Canada survey, three in 10 Canadian households opted for pre-packaged water, which is seriously bad news for our landfills, since an estimated 88 percent of water bottles -- typically made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) -- aren’t being recycled.
Landfill overflow
"Think about an outdoor musical or cultural event you’ve been to," says Aaron Freeman, policy director of Environmental Defence. "If you’re there at the end, think about what that place looks like and what’s strewn all across the grass: thousands of these bottles." Plastic isn’t fantastic.
The time NOT to recycle
It’s enough to make everyone with an eco conscience decide to reuse PET water bottles, refilling them with tap water over and over again.
Not a good idea. PET bottles are designed for one-time use only because they are difficult to clean properly. If you think that hot water will remove nasty bacteria, consider that plastic exposed to heat tends to leach chemicals.
In fact, leaching chemicals -- even without heat -- is a concern with plastic water bottles.
Polluted water
In 2006, Michael Krachler and Canadian-born William Shotyk of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry in Heidelberg, Germany, measured the amount of antimony -- which has been linked to nausea, dizziness and depression -- in 15 brands of bottled water from Canada and 48 from across Europe. They found up to 30 times more antimony in PET-bottled water than in water bottled in glass. They also found that the concentration of the chemical in PET bottles almost doubled after six months.
The two scientists believe this indicates the longer the water sits in PET bottles, the more the chemical leaches in, and although the antimony levels in PET bottles six months into the Heidelberg study remained well below the limits of Health Canada’s safety standards, the findings were significant enough for the scientists to say further research is warranted.
In Canada, there are currently no government best-before-date requirements, even though the Canadian Bottled Water Association uses two years as the recommended shelf life for bottled water.
7 Comments
posted Mar 19, 2008 - 4:20 pm by Diane
My husband buys Fuze drinks that come in glass bottles and I just wash them out and refill them with filtered water from the tap in the fridge door. The bottles fit in the cup holders in my truck and are quite sturdy and were basically free since I snagged them before they went in the recycling bin.
posted Mar 20, 2008 - 12:14 am by tieta
Very good article. There is lots of studies about plastic related toxicity and hormones disruption. However it seems the public is oblivious to it all. Are we becoming a suicidal society ? Why are these types of packaging still allowed?
posted Mar 20, 2008 - 9:11 am by John
I take exception to your recommendation that the best water bottles are stainless steel. Cheap ones can leach contaminants such as nickel or chromium.Klean Kanteen are really big on touting "American Designed" but the reality is that these are Chinese made bottles. Klean Kanteen sub contracts a Chinese manufacturer to make these bottles. I for one will not buy anything from China that comes in contact with my food or water.
posted Mar 22, 2008 - 10:53 pm by MaddieB
Great article. There's also an extensive list of links to other articles and videos on the dangers of plastic bottles and sippy cups at www.PlasticFreeBottles.com
posted Apr 6, 2008 - 2:10 pm by Marge
I just bought a plastic water bottle called nalgene, made in USA. It is a #4 written in the triangle at the bottom of the bottle. Right now, they are on sale for $7.99. Recommended by Oprah.
posted Apr 17, 2008 - 3:36 pm by Terry
BEWARE OF ANYTHING PLASTIC! NALGENE included. I threw mine out, once I became more educated about the dangers of toxic chemicals and plastic. There are lightweight bottles with GLASS inside. My daughter has one...forgot the name. Point is, regardeless of what star or anyone tells you, PLASTICS are petrolum based and out gas or leach. Do research and you will be shocked. The FDA does NOT protect us! GREAT COMMENTS ABOVE...The MULTI BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT MAKING MACHINES want us ignorant! Also, don't let PRICE fool you...you could pay a much bigger price with your health. USE GLASS in lieu of PLASTIC for storage too. PHTHALATES are DANGEROUS! Tell others and TELL BIG BUSINESS you won't buy their DANGEROUS PRODUCTS!
posted Apr 21, 2008 - 7:07 pm by Tanya
Actually, Nalgene has now begun producing water bottles that are still #7 level placstic however they are no longer manufacturing with BPC. REI here in St Louis has begun to re-stock it's shelves with the newer, 2998 manufactured bottles. I bought one the other day for our daughter and will be ordering more online (#4) that are also manufactured without BPC.
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