Problems with generic water bottle products, problems with Nalgene

The Barcelona Debacle

After spending weeks chatting with my fellow intern Hannah about my plastic bottle toxin research, and after she promised to buy a safe bottle upon returning to the United States, she did me wrong this weekend.

She went to Barcelona and bought a generic aluminum bottle as a souvenir.

I was instantly appalled and spent the entire afternoon discussing her experiences with this bottle. We looked up the Spanish manufacturer of the bottle and we did taste test comparisons with my Sigg. Here is the discussion.

The water bottle industry does not usually concern itself with water safety

Unlike tap water, where consumers are provided with test results every year, the bottled water industry is not required to disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts. Instead, the industry hides behind the claim that bottled water is held to the same safety standards as tap water. But with promotional campaigns saturated with images of mountain springs, and prices 1,900 times the price of tap water, consumers are clearly led to believe that they are buying a product that has been purified to a level beyond the water that comes out of the garden hose.

Americans drink twice as much bottled water today as they did ten years ago, for an annual total of over nine billion gallons with producer revenues nearing twelve billions. Purity should be included in a price that, at a typical cost of $3.79 per gallon, is 1,900 times the cost of public tap water. But EWG’s tests indicate that in some cases the industry may be delivering a beverage little cleaner than tap water, sold at a premium price. The health consequences of exposures to these complex mixtures of contaminants like those found in bottled water have never been studied.

Unlike public water utilities, bottled water companies are not required to notify their customers of the occurrence of contaminants in the water, or, in most states, to tell their customers where the water comes from, how and if it is purified, and if it is merely bottled tap water. 

http://www. org/reports/bottledwater ewg.

We have heard reports in the popular media that the actual water in these bottled water products is not pure. This is not only due to the water source, but also the manufacturer and packaging. Large quantities of this water is never tested before packaging, but exponentially less so post-packaging stage.

That said, outdoors consumers should demand more testing by bottle manufacturers and a thorough explanation of any potential risks.

It should be made compulsory for bottle manufacturers to disclose to consumers the materials used and/or found in their products. We’re now more often informed about the BPA quantities in these products, but this isn’t the only harmful toxin in these products, after all.

(As Hannah agreed that she could sense a metallic taste in her mouth after she swigged from her Barcelona bottle, I let her know that she had probably just ingested a mouthful of aluminum.)

I use a Sigg aluminum bottle because its inside liner keeps it from leaching toxins including the aluminum itself into my water. The source below identifies this liner to be “made from a water-based resin that is baked into the bottles, according to a (Sigg) company representative who just emailed me.”

http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2008/03/17/choosing-a-safe-reusable-water-bottle/

I trust this Sigg liner, despite its “secret formula” I’ve before discussed. I can deal with a water-based resin protecting me from aluminum eroding into my water and polluting my system. Aluminum, of course, is highly dangerous to ingest.

Aluminum can inhibit the body's ability to digest and make use of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and fluoride. This can cause anemia, prevent bone growth, and reduce bone density. Aluminum can also cause conditions which actually force calcium out of the bones. Either of these situations can bring on weakness and deformation in the bone structure with crippling effects. Toxicity can also result in aching muscles, speech problems, digestive problems, lowered liver function, colic, and impaired kidney function.

http://www.scrink.com/blog/wellness/2009/01/cut-aluminium-out-of-your-routine.html

Do all metal bottles have a liner?

Some stainless steel bottles do not require a liner. In the past, there had been some low-priced, low-quality aluminum bottles manufactured in Asia and distributed in Europe and parts of the USA which did not use a quality liner.

To me, this seems to suggest that most manufacturers now of any decent (even Barcelona) quality would use a liner of some sort. Your inference?

http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp?ID=5&PageAction=Custom#Do%20all%20metal%20water%20bottles%20use%20a%20liner?

I’ve also looked at Sigg’s top competing bottles to find if they require linings:

• Enviro New Wave SS, an aluminum bottle, has a lining that is 100% leach-free, according to its manufacturer.
  
• Klean Kanteen, a stainless steele product, will not leach metal into your water and has no liner.

http://green.thefind.com/pets/detail-new-wave-enviro-1-liter-stainless-steel-water-bottle-ss-loop-cap

And remember,

Like any material, plastic does degrade over time; you can see this in polycarbonate bottles when they become cloudy or faded in appearance. If you notice any change to the material, or if a bottle gives off a distinct plastic taste, it should no longer be used.

http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/222673_gearjunkie05.html

This would be an example of a plastic bottle degrading toxins even other than BPA into your water.

(Here’s an interest report proving that Sigg is the best for not leaching materials. Take this with a grain of salt, but do use this if you’re pushing others to buy Sigg bottles.) http://www.mysiggg.com/LeachingMetals.pdf

BPA-free Nalgene vs. Sigg

Why should I spend $15-$20 on a SIGG when I could buy a $10 Lexan plastic bottle?, asks the SIGG FAQ page. Obviously, it's your call. Many people are satisfied with a Lexan plastic bottle (like a Nalgene). We feel there are some distinct advantages to a SIGG, both in function and in fashion:

 Weight – typically, SIGG bottles are 10-20% lighter-weight than Lexan, allowing you to lighten that load a bit in your backpack.

 Great Taste – SIGGs are truly taste neutral. Lexan brands may claim this but go ahead and put them to the test. Leave your filled plastic bottle out in the sun for a couple hours and see how your water tastes the next day – a bit like plastic we've been told.

 Durability – Check out Backpacker magazine's June 2006 issue where SIGG was put to the test against all the leading water bottle brands. When the smoke from the 100 pound cannon cleared, Backpacker declared SIGG "The World's Toughest Water Bottle"

 Style – SIGG's have been described as "works of art". For the extra few dollars, why not express yourself?

Sigg website at http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp?ID=5&PageAction=Custom

Other Aluminum materials vs. Sigg

I still trust the liner of a Sigg aluminum bottle over the obviously dangerous lack of liners on some and perhaps still inadequate liners on other aluminum bottles. Such as in the example of Hannah’s off-brand aluminum container from Barcelona, the company provided no information about its bottles’ liner material. Though a liner could have existed in this bottle (as the SIGG excerpt above seemed to imply that generic-brand manufacturers usually will make liners these days) these plastic liners may contain BPA or be simply inadequate at keeping aluminum out of the water; Hannah could still taste it, after all. I vote for the liner that leaves no aftertaste of metal in my water. 

And hey, I'm biased against Nalgene. Don't support a company that still makes products containing BPA despite knowing the health risks they cause. Sure Nalgene now makes BPA-free products to sell... at a higher cost to those consumers making the educated choice to spend it. Damn the company's unethical capitalism and support companies that only promote their safe products. When we're talking about health issues, there isn't room for simply hoping people will educate themselves about safe products. We need to only support companies that only sell safe products.