The Nalgene Bottle Debate

Lindsey recently told me there was a debate about the safety of Nalgene bottles. I had not heard about it and decided to check it out.

Seems there is a pretty large debate even between scientists. Of course, those employed in the plastics industry say they are perfectly safe. Some scientists not in the plastics industry say otherwise.

The problem: BPA

BPA is a chemical called 'Bisphenol A'. BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate, a rigid plastic used to make Nalgene bottles - and also things like baby bottles, plates, mugs, etc. Another use for this chemical is for the resins used for the protective linings in cans and metal lids, coatings for water storage tanks and wine vats.

Here's the story I have read about how this controversy got started:

In August of 1998 (yep, nearly 10 years ago!), a geneticist named Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., noticed that chromosomal errors in the mouse cells she was studying shot up from 1-2 % to 40%. She traced the effect to polycarbonate cages and water bottles that had been washed with a harsh detergent. When her team replaced all the caging materials with non-polycarbonate plastics, the cell division returned to normal.

Apparently, according to what I've been reading, BPA mimics estrogen. This hormone controls the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus, according to Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., who is a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. He says the most harm with BPA is to the unborn or newborn child. Plastics labeled #7's are the worst.... #5, #2HDPE and #4 LDPE are suppose to be OK. (Nancy's Yogurt packages their yogurt in #2HDPE!)

A study funded by the Society of the Plastics Industry that was published in the July 2002 Toxicological Sciences said there was no effect on reproduction or development. Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D., executive director of the Polycarbonate Business Unit at the American Plastics Council said if you looked at all the data together, there was no consistent pattern of effects." Another study said the human body neutralizes and excretes BPA far more rapidly that a rat's body does.

Other studies: BPA may enhance the risk of developing Type II diabetes (Angel Nadal, Ph.D. and his team at a university in Alicante, Spain)
Another study linking women with ovarian disfunction to elevated blood levels of BPA
Another study finding that women suffering miscarriages had blood levels of BPA 3 times higher than women with successful pregnancies....

Nalgene's website claims their bottles are safe, of course. They site a study by the European Food Safety Authority which said, "People's dietary exposure to BPA is estimated to be well below the new TDI (Tolerable Daily Intake) level.

So...of course there is so much more...but from what I can tell, this is the basic argument. There seems to always be something else cropping up that scientists say are not good for us. Sometimes, in later years, they go back and say they were wrong, and that it's OK.

What to do?

Anyone want a beautiful, blue, Nalgene bottle?