Nalgene bottles in the news: An article worth reading

[addyb]

Nalgene bottles may be harmful to your health, a study says.

 

[Prickly Pear]

I was just looking into hydration packs and in particular, those nalgene ones when you posted . Interesting article - same substance used in bullet proof windows, learn something new everyday. Seems the article dates back to 2004 as well. Surprised its not been picked up earlier, good find!

All comes down to associated risk, I think scientists can make a case for most things being harmful in some form or another. However certain risks can be completely eliminated through choice. A bullet proof water bottle is overkill for me anyway . Surprising they have no mention of this in their FAQ on the nalgene website ain't it .

 

[addyb]

Yeah, it IS strange that Nalgene FAQ's have no mention of it.

I found the page while googling HDPE vs. Lexan bottles and it came up. HDPE is the plastic found in military 1 quart canteens and the like. Nalgene still makes HDPE bottles, they're sortof a snowy white.

There's really only two problems with HDPE:

1) It absorbs the smell from whatever you put in them. That's why other than water, it's not such a great idea to put anything else in them. (But you can clean them out with baking soda or lemon juice)

2) It's heat sensitive. If you put really hot water into an HDPE bottle or canteen, it goes mushy and soft. It won't melt, but it becomes really pliable.

Personally, I prefer HDPE because it's just more durable, I find. Sure, I don't put anything other than water into my army canteen, but that's what the canteen cup and kidney stove is for. Lexan looks nice and you can put anything you want in it including hot tea, but carcenogenics? I'm a little wary now.

Adam

 

[mark a.]

Yeah, it IS strange that Nalgene FAQ's have no mention of it.

If you hover over the "products" button, it's at the bottom: "Info about BPA"

They link to loads of websites which, surprise surprise, show how the previous study was flawed, Lexan is perfectly safe etc etc etc. Naturally they're not going to link to articles which say that BPA is deadly and gives everyone cancer, but as always it's up to us to decide who to believe.

I haven't done all the reading (I might get round to reading them properly later), but my guess is that Nalgene is essentially safe. Just as pretty much everything gives you cancer nowadays, I wouldn't be suprised if Lexan did have some downsides, but then I also wouldn't be surprised if another study shows how HDPE is bad as well!

If I was to worry about that original article, I'd have to be worrying about the single-use water bottles. That's what I use at work - I buy an M&S or Sainsbury's water, drink it, and then keep using the water bottle for a while until it gets too dirty - then I get a new one. If that's evil too, I'm screwed, as I've been doing that for years!

 

[PC2K]

this article has been popping up everywhere the last few years. The study was flawed because the researches used very strong cleaning liquids and very hot water to clean the lexan bottles.

 

[Prickly Pear]

Yeh just the latest bout of exaggerated scientific risk research. At the end of the day I'm under the impression if you smoke/drive/drink/use a mobile phone, you've got bigger worries.

 

[G Obach]

if you look up " xenoestrogens" .... you'll find alot of info blaming it for just about everything.. ..... not sure i'd believe all of it .... but when i was in university, it was part of an ecology course.... (scary stuff)

you couldn't pay me to live in the same neighbourhood as a blue plastic bottle factory... .. trust me on this....




Greg

 

[Tengu]

There certainly seems to be a lot of fertility problems about these days.

Which is probably a good thing. I for one do not intend having children.

 

[addyb]

I don't plan on having children either. I'm crazy enough as it is; if there were two or three more of me running around there would be massive worldly reprecussions.

In all seriousness, if you guys are right and the study is flawed, then I guess I'm safe. But I was worried for a bit there!

Adam

 

[Wayland]

Doesn't bother me as I only use my Nagelene bottle as a P!ss Pot anyway.

 

[Stuart]

if you were to heed every scientific scare story then you would have difficulty using or consuming anything.

you cant use your Nalgene bottle (because it will give you cancer), you cant use your Sig bottle (because some people still think that the aluminium will give you Alzheimer’s!) and you cant use your non-stick crusader mug (because apparently the Teflon will poison you!)

 

[weekend_warrior]

if you were to heed every scientific scare story then you would have difficulty using or consuming anything.

you cant use your Nalgene bottle (because it will give you cancer), you cant use your Sig bottle (because some people still think that the aluminium will give you Alzheimer’s!) and you cant use your non-stick crusader mug (because apparently the Teflon will poison you!)

....and God help you if you char your sausages! The Food Agency will have us all on Soylent Green soon...

 

[Spacemonkey]

I wouldn't worry as I pour far more harmful chemicals into your water system every day...

...and perfectly legally too!

 

[Zodiak]

if you look up " xenoestrogens" .... you'll find alot of info blaming it for just about everything.. ..... not sure i'd believe all of it .... but when i was in university, it was part of an ecology course.... (scary stuff)

I seem to remember a TV programme that claimed that the average man in the UK was now some 1.5" shorter than his grandfather due to these. And I am not talking about height, unless you are lieing down!

Similarly it was claiming that grandmas bra is unlikely to be big enough for a modern day miss.

I thought it was rubbish at the time but the subject seems to have cropped up several times recently. There aslo appears to be a small breed of crocodiles in South America whose males have suffered so badly from lets say "shrinkly dinkly" that most are unable to sucessfuly mate and the species is under threat.

 

[oops56]

Well take about getting shorter last year i had a little check up and i used to be 6 ft. now 5 ft. 11 i used to drink a lot of beer in alum. cans but my mind is also bad go to do something get there forgot mite be some fact in some things what in h---l was i doing before i got here dam got to go somewhere were

 

[G Obach]

right on...

it was the study on reptiles that was quoted in the ecology class.... and its feminizing effects on their male parts...

but i believe i'm onto the cure... its beer... i've never seen it in a blue plastic bottle or in a nalgene bottle.......... just plain old glass bottles... heh heh

beer even enhances your sexuality...
has some vitamins in it

is there anything it can't do ?


Greg

 

[CLEM]

What kind of plastic is the British issue water bottle made from?