Nalgene Danger

I was first alerted to the potential danger of Nalgene bottles when one of my roommates gave me a new water bottle for my birthday. He told me that Nalgene bottles contained harmful chemicals, and that I should get rid of mine. Well, this was certainly alarming to me as I use my Nalgene bottle every day -- I drink at least three bottle-fuls while at work alone. Imagine how many chemicals were flowing through my body due to a day of semi-strenuous exercise! I decided to investigate further, and immediately googled: "Naglene Dangers". The first link was to an article in treehugger.com (of course).

The website explained that Nalgene bottles (as well as many other "clear" polycarbonate bottles) contained BPA; more scientifically known as Bisphenol-A. The chemical allegedly has traces of estrogen in addition to having links to breast cancer and early puberty. While I don't have to worry about early puberty (just got through it last month), I became concerned when the article stated enlarged breasts and dropping semen counts as possible side effects. My man-boobs have been increasing in both size and fullness continuously over the past two years... I had written that off as a sign of puberty. Was my Nalgene to blame? I decided to go right to the source -- or more technically, their website.

At Nalgene-Outdoor.com, I was immediately greeted by this link: BPA and Nalgene. They claim:

Based on the findings of the Food and Drug Administration, The Environmental Protection Agency, The American Plastics Council and other reliable sources from around the world, we continue to firmly believe in the safety of our products.

This is followed by links to the FDA and press releases confirming the safety to the average consumer regarding consuming BPA levels found in polycarbonate drinking bottles, as well as a FAQ about their bottles and BPA. However, despite the confidence in their bottles, Nalgene had introduced a new line of bottles made from "Eastman Tritan™ copolyester" materials, containing no BPA. This makes sense, as consumer confidence was shaken from the BPA controversy. The result of all this? A trip with Sister to the local REI to pick me up a hot new Nalgene.

Unbeknownst to me, my parents had been hiding a REI customer dividend check from me, totaling $6.52. I had apparently received it in the mail in 2006, and no one had told me about it. With this little monetary bonus in hand, I was able to get a discounted electric blue Nalgene bottle (as well as one for Sister -- I worry about her health as well). While there, I found something that was so simple, so practical, that I had to stop and wonder at why I didn't see if anything like this existed before: an attachment that goes into the mouth of the Nalgene bottle, and limits the flow of water coming out to one small opening.

Most people who know me are aware of the problem I have of splashing water all over myself while drinking from my Nalgene bottle. While the wide-mouth design makes for easy bottle filling and washing, it isn't the most effective opening for water drinking. Far too often, water sloshed over my mouth or down the sides, drenching me in a torrential pool of wasted H₂O. Not anymore, as I can easily say that this "Easy Sipper" is the best $2.95 I've ever spent.

So if you are still in the stone age and using polycarbonate Nalgene bottles, I encourage you to take the patented Shin approach of, "Better Safe Than Sorry", and head down to your local outdoor store (or mouse your way to your favorite internet storefront) and pick up a new copolyester one. They are currently available in three colors (Lollipop Red, Slate Blue, and Spring Green) and run around $10 -- a small investment for your health, and for what I believe is one of the best water bottles ever invented.