Water on the Go That's Better for You and the Planet

In case you haven't heard, it's all the rage these days to hate bottled water. Americans in record numbers are kicking the habit of drinking from "disposable" plastic water bottles – a trend we applaud since 1.5 million barrels of petroleum per year goes into producing those bottles, which don't break down in landfills. While corporations like the makers of Nalgene bottles are working hard to cash in on this new “bottle your own” trend, there are serious health concerns that come with choosing the wrong to go container. Here you’ll find a summary of the issue, the risks of using some plastic containers and a list of safer – and stylish – alternatives.

A Health-Oriented Trend Gone Terribly Awry

In the past several years, selling bottled water has become one of the most lucrative and fastest-growing sectors of the entire beverage industry. It's no mistake that beverage industry giants like Coca Cola (Dasani) and Pepsi (Aquafina) have jumped in with both feet. Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water last year alone. This is particularly startling considering that fully 24% of the water we buy is simply tap water repackaged by Coke and Pepsi.[1]

Food industry market research firm the Hartman Group has studied America’s bottled water habit: “We believe bottled water has become less about the physical act of hydration and more about being a companion to people,” says Michelle Barry. “They like to walk around with it and hold it.” Increasingly, the typical consumer sips out of a bottle of water “to mark time.” A recent New York Times article equates water bottles to a security blanket: "each bottle of water is one in a readily available cast of interchangeable security blankets that we can capriciously acquire and toss throughout the day."[2]

Of course the problem is that most of these discarded bottles end up in the landfill (about 20 billion bottles per year), and that enormous amount of waste is compounded by the amount of waste created in the manufacture of those bottles, not to mention shipping the water to us, especially from far away Fiji. The export of drinking water from Fiji is doubly alarming because more than half the population of Fiji do not have access to safe, reliable sources of drinking water.[3]

Several city and state leaders around the country, like Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City, have become alarmed at the trend. Here in Oregon, our legislature just passed an expansion of the bottle bill, primarily to deal with the bottled water problem.

Consumers are now kicking the bottled water habit, sending it crashing down like a giant wave. The next big thing seems to be tap water from your very own house, bottled in some sort of stylish, reusable container to go. But as this “bottle your own” water trend takes off, it’s very important to choose the right container to take that cool drink with you and protect your health.

Health Risks Linked to #7 Plastic Bottles

The company that makes Nalgene bottles, in partnership with Brita water filters (a subsidiary of the bleach manufacturing company Clorox), has launched various campaigns to cash in on the emerging “bottle your own water” trend, including their “filter for good” campaign. The problem is that most of the bottles Nalgene produces (including the one you receive if you participate in their pledge campaign) are made of polycarbonate or “lexan” plastic, identified by the #7 recycling symbol. These plastics contain bisphenol A, a potentially dangerous chemical known to leach into the water (or other beverage) you put in the bottle.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in #7 type plastics (look for the number in the recycling symbol on the bottom of your plastic bottles). BPA is a potent hormone-mimicking chemical that can disrupt the endocrine system at very low concentrations. Studies on lab animals have shown that at very low doses BPA can lead to a variety of adverse health effects such as reduced sperm count, impaired immune system functioning, increases in prostate tumor proliferation, altered prostate and uterus development, insulin resistance, alteration of brain chemistry, early puberty, and behavioral changes.[4] Recent studies implicate bisphenol A in many of our biggest contemporary public health problems, including increases in diabetes and obesity, hyperactivity, and infertility.[5]

A soon to be released OEC study found detectable levels of bisphenol A in 80% of Oregonians tested. This is significant in light of the findings that this chemical can produce negative health impacts at very low levels.

The Healthy Choice

The good news is that there are plenty of alternatives to using #7 plastic. It is also worth noting that because bisphenol A is excreted from the body in a few days, eliminating the use of BPA-containing plastic enables people to dramatically reduce the amount of BPA found in their system in a very short period of time.

When you want to take your water on the go, there are some safer alternatives including these options:

• Klean Kanteen – lightweight, long-lasting stainless steel bottles. http://www.kleankanteen.com/index.html

• Back2Tap - High quality stainless steel bottles with cool custom logos. A full-time, online, women-owned business, they are motivated to get other communities and organizations to continue the grassroots movement to switch from disposable plastic bottles to reusable ones.
  

• HDPE (#2) plastic bottles, such as Nalgene’s ATB bottles which are made with HDPE plastic (these are the white, opaque ones), or LDPE (#4).

Resources:

Plastics of Concern

Fast Company, "Message in a Bottle," Issue 117, By Charles Fishman

New York Times, “Invisible Danger? Parents Look Inside the Lunchbox,” By JULIE BICK, Published: March 12, 2006 [registration required]

National Geographic Green Guide, “Fat’s Hidden Trigger”, by Emily Main, July/August 2007

National Geographic Green Guide, “The Bisphenol-A Debate: A Suspect Chemical in Plastic Bottles and Cans,” by Catherine Zandonella, M.P.H, May/June 2006

Grist, “Ask Umbra,” August 2004

National Geographic Green Guide, “Safest Reusable Plastic for Holding Food and Water,” by Vincent Standley, May/June 2005

[1] Charles Fishman, Fast Company Magazine, Issue 117, “Message in a Bottle,” July 2007

[2] Jon Mooallem covered the trend in a May 27, 2007 article, The Unintended Consequences of Hyperhydration

[3] Charles Fishman, Fast Company Magazine, Issue 117, “Message in a Bottle,” July 2007

[4] vom Saal 1998; Howdeshell 1999; Sakaue 2001; Al-Hiyasat 2002; Palanza 2002; Schonfelder 2002; Wetherill 2002; Sugita-Konishi 2003; Kabuto 2004; Della Seta 2005; Markey 2005; Porrini 2005; Timms 2005; Alonso-Magdalena 2006

[5] Hunt, PA, KE Koehler, M Susiarjo, CA Hodges, A Ilagan, RC Voigt, S Thomas, BF Thomas and TJ Hassold. 2003. Bisphenol A exposure causes meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology 13: 546-553 (2003); Sugiura-Ogasawara, M, Y Ozaki, S Sonta, T Makino and Kaoru Suzumori 2005. Exposure to bisphenol A is associated with recurrent miscarriage. Human Reproduction 20:2325-2329 (2005). Sugiura-Ogasawara, M, Y Ozaki, S Sonta, T Makino and Kaoru Suzumori 2005. Exposure to bisphenol A is associated with recurrent miscarriage. Human Reproduction 20:2325-2329 (2005); Takeuchi T, Tsutsumi O, Ikezuki Y, Takai Y, Taketani Y. 2004. Positive relationship between androgen and the endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A, in normal women and women with ovarian dysfunction. Endocrin. J. 51:165-169 (2004).