nalgene/polycarbonate bottles may be dangerous

[xela]

On the off chance that I am just this once not the last of my friends to hear about something: There appears to be evidence that polycarbonate drinking bottles can leech a chemical (bisphenol A) that mimics estrogen, in quantities that may have significant health effects. As is usual with such stories, good reporting is hard to find on the 'net, but after looking at a dozen or so stories, I recommend this article. (From a college student newspaper, no less — which, upon reflection, I suppose we should expect to be among the last bastions of careful reporting.) ABC News reported in April that Walmart has pulled baby bottles containing bisphenol A, and Nalgene has announced it will phase it out.

Comments

[n5red.livejournal.com]

I have a couple of Nalgene bottle that I fill from a Brita pitcher, Typically, I will drink a liter or so in the evening. Please let me know if come across more information.

[nuclearpolymer.livejournal.com]

All I can say is that polymer chemists (that is, me and others) have been concerned about bisphenol A for about a decade. It's actually kind of surprising to me that other people are starting to care. I would consider it at the same worry level as mercury in fish, possibly slightly lower, as a lot more people have died from acute mercury contamination.

[dcltdw]

Huh, well, score one for yakshaver: I finally broke down and got two replacement bottles.

Interestingly, they are recycle number 7 still. They just have stickers swearing up and down that they are bpa free. (I doublechecked their website, too.)

[nuclearpolymer.livejournal.com]

Well, the presence of bisphenol A in the final product depends a great deal on the manufacturing process, so it's totally possible that someone can make a polycarbonate container with nearly zero residual. I imagine that once public attention is really focused on the issue, manufacturers will be motivated to fix it. Or at least one can hope.