Are they or are they not death. I have read so many different accounts of whether they can or can not poison you with carcinogens, or whether its only certain types of plastics that can, or whether they can but only if you re-use plastic bottled water type bottles. I have read that number 7 type plastic is bad, but the standard bottle plastic PET is ok. So, what the hell is the real deal....i mean i drink plastic water bottles like they are going out of style. Am i slowly poisoning myself or not, is smoking a pack a day safer than drinking a dasani?

6/28/2008 7:55:15 AM

you shouldn't drink bottled water anyway

it takes 3 to 5 liters of water to make just 1 liter of bottled water

Buy a Nalgene and a Brita water filter

It's cheaper and less wasteful

6/28/2008 8:42:36 AM

yes but, the theory is that nalagene bottles will kill you slowly

6/28/2008 8:50:17 AM

that's a bummer man

I don't drink out of the typical #7 nalgene bottles

I've got a #4

6/28/2008 9:00:31 AM

^^They won't kill you.


Stainless steel is my preference.

6/28/2008 9:42:15 AM

Nalgene has been quick to release a bisphenol A free bottle.

6/28/2008 9:48:02 AM

or you could buy one of those trendy Swiss aluminum bottles

but seriously, stop PAYING MONEY for bottled water and then dumping the bottles in a landfill (or, at best, wasting energy to recycle them)

tap water is more regulated than bottled water so don't think that just because it comes pre-packaged it is somehow healthier

and secondary filtration at your home (ie Brita filter, etc) will remove any sediment, odors or tastes, and set your mind at ease

[Edited on June 28, 2008 at 10:00 AM. Reason : -]

6/28/2008 9:59:57 AM

I have 3 of the stainless steel bottles, all different sizes including the 40 ouncer. You can put coffee in it, wash it out, put beer in it, wash it out, rum and coke,etc. and it doesn't absorb the flavor of the last drink like plastic does.

6/28/2008 10:09:01 AM

Quote :

"Are they or are they not death."

I don't know... BUT, bottled water is definitely death, for the planet.

If you read the stats, they are horrendous and depressing.

6/28/2008 10:27:23 AM

Quote :

"Nalgene has been quick to release a bisphenol A free bottle."

Yep. And the professional chemical world is still debating the real effects of BPA on people from plastic bottles. They're still not entirely sure if/how/how much it'll hurt you in the long run.

6/28/2008 10:41:11 AM

Quote :

"Buy a Nalgene and a Brita water filter It's cheaper and less wasteful"

+1

6/28/2008 11:32:47 AM

Look at things this way. 100 years ago people didn't drink out of plastic bottles. They also didn't live as long.

6/28/2008 12:13:25 PM

lol

you've found the fountain of youth, b

good thing that's the only change over the last 100 years

6/28/2008 12:20:06 PM

just don't leave your nalgene bottle full of water in your car for 2 weeks in the summer sun before you drink it and you'll be fine

stupid paranoid "health activists"

6/28/2008 12:20:35 PM

Quote :

"I have read that number 7 type plastic is bad,"

That's incorrect. Plastics labeled as #7 merely don't fit into the other six (technically five, since PE has two of the sections) categories (PET, PE, PS, PP, PVC).

So while you're thinking of the controversy over Nagelene polycarbonate bottles leaching BPA, they're a very small subset of #7 plastics. Plus now other companies have made FDA-certified plastic bottles that don't leach BPA.

In other words, scaremongers are trying to get people to avoid using the whole realm #7 plastics as a way to avoid polycarbonates, but that's unnecessary.

[Edited on June 28, 2008 at 2:11 PM. Reason : .]

6/28/2008 2:09:08 PM

Tap water FTW

6/28/2008 2:09:11 PM

just drink beer

6/28/2008 2:32:36 PM

i rock a swiss aluminum bottle and hit up my brita filter

6/28/2008 2:55:30 PM

Quote :

" but seriously, stop PAYING MONEY for bottled water and then dumping the bottles in a landfill (or, at best, wasting energy to recycle them) tap water is more regulated than bottled water so don't think that just because it comes pre-packaged it is somehow healthier and secondary filtration at your home (ie Brita filter, etc) will remove any sediment, odors or tastes, and set your mind at ease"

i bought one pack of bottled water.....then i REFILL and REUSE those bottles over n over again. I keep them in my fridge so I always have a cold bottle of water. My question is, does reusing and keeping water stored in the PET bottles harm you? I have read so many different things im not sure.

6/28/2008 5:31:36 PM

Quote :

"i drink plastic water bottles like they are going out of style"

always have ...always will....

[Edited on June 28, 2008 at 10:55 PM. Reason : at least 12 deer park a day]

6/28/2008 10:54:59 PM

this is the first i've heard of this, so i'm curious, what about #1? i re-use propel bottles for water, since they are thicker/sturdier than normal water bottles, and cheap, since i like to keep over half a dozen of them around.

6/29/2008 8:48:28 AM

This is why you should only drink grain alcohol and rainwater.

6/29/2008 9:32:00 AM

i've got a sigg... aluminum bottle

http://www.mysigg.com/

6/29/2008 12:54:38 PM

Quote :

"or you could buy one of those trendy Swiss aluminum bottles"

That's what I have, only because my sister-in-law is swiss and gave it to me.

6/29/2008 12:56:32 PM

Quote :

"i bought one pack of bottled water.....then i REFILL and REUSE those bottles over n over again. I keep them in my fridge so I always have a cold bottle of water. My question is, does reusing and keeping water stored in the PET bottles harm you? I have read so many different things im not sure."

I would highly recommend not reusing them beyond their original use.

6/29/2008 1:01:44 PM

who gives a fuck?

6/29/2008 3:27:36 PM

haha...well its pretty safe to say the Swiss didn't start the plastic bottles will kill you hype

Quote :

"Hello SIGG Internet Customers, Due to the incredible demand for SIGG bottles, we are forced to close down the MySIGG shop. We are also unable to supply any other Internet business for Sigg Brand. Our Swiss factory is working around the clock to produce and ship more bottles to us, but the demand has currently and for the near future - exceeded the supply. Here's why: Due to the recently released report on some polycarbonate plastic #7 bottles leaching the chemical BPA, people are urgently looking for a safe alternative to plastic. “Earth Month” has further raised awareness with Americans that using a reusable water bottle makes more eco-sense than using disposable PET plastic bottles. Now let us tell you what we are doing at SIGG Switzerland to manage this situation: Reconfiguring our SIGG Switzerland facility and adding new equipment. Hiring new production workers and having them work around the clock, 3 shifts and weekends. Allocating 50% of our global production for North America. Once summer is over - we will be able to re-assess our supply situation and react. Other companies might outsource production to low cost markets like China. However, we know that one of the reasons why consumers love the SIGG brand is because of the trust in Swiss quality & craftsmanship - and that's what we are investing in! We will continue to assess our supply vs business opportunities in the near term and longer term future and will let you know when we can strategically supply our brand on internet sales again. Sincerely, Steve Wasik CEO, SIGG Switzerland Robert Robert Rheaume President, SIGG USA http://www.sigg.ch "

6/29/2008 8:15:04 PM

Don't heat your plastic bottles to boiling and you should be fine. Plastic wrap is known for leaching BPA too and you don't hear about that. Most of the studies looking at chemicals leaching into water from plastic haven't shown a increase in problems in animals, so the jury is still out.

6/30/2008 9:37:33 AM

well snopes debunked it, and snopes is always right

6/30/2008 9:40:42 AM

Quote :

"i mean i drink plastic water bottles like they are going out of style."

holy shit that's intense

6/30/2008 10:45:28 AM

Pretty much all plastics have chemicals called nucleating agents. Some may have plasticizers as well.

BPA is just one example. (Nalgene probably just uses different ones)

These chemicals can leach out over time, but there is a miniscule amount (if any) of exposure at normal temperatures.

As plastics are heated however, the chemicals increase mobility.

The health hazards are debatable, but I think it's a good idea not heat things in any plastic containers, including tupperware/baby bottles.


The guy that invented one of the biggest nucleating agents won't allow his family to heat things in plasticware or plastic baby bottles. But take that for what it's worth.

6/30/2008 1:35:59 PM

Quote :

"Nalgene has been quick to release a bisphenol A free bottle."

camelback was even quicker.

i've stopped buying bottled water just bc i can't stand to see all that plastic piled up in my recycling bin. i drink the water from the refrigerator door dispenser in a glass while at home, and i'll try to remember to take some with me in a bpa-free camelback bottle (the only bpa-free plastic bottles available when i was buying a new one). we still have bottled water at work, but we're trying to convince bossman to order a big jug on a dispenser thing.

i've heard not to drink water that's been left in a plastic bottle inside a hot car, so stopped doing that, and quit giving it to the dogs...so i just dump it out on the plant in the yard that looks the driest.

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 1:44 PM. Reason : est est]

6/30/2008 1:42:08 PM

I heard that the number inside the recycle symbol is how many times the bottle/cup can be re-filled before leaching. And if you look at Dasani and Aquafina, there is no number. But I checked out a cup I have and there's a 7 in it. And if you think about it, the reason for expiration dates on bottles of water is the date before the plastic leaches chemicals into the water - so there is definitely something to this. Well water with a Brita filter is just fine for me. No fluoride either, which has also recently been of concern.

So, heat things in pyrex, wash glasses very well after you buy them before you use them (to avoid the lead dust the Chinese are poisoning us with), and choose your water wisely.

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 1:49 PM. Reason : ]

6/30/2008 1:45:49 PM

12 oz Coors Light aluminum cans ftw

6/30/2008 1:47:36 PM

Cans can't be much better.

6/30/2008 1:50:00 PM

i think you people are worried about the wrong things i life...

im sure any effect of whatever you imagine is leaching into your drinking water is negligible at best

6/30/2008 1:53:24 PM

Quote :

"I heard that the number inside the recycle symbol is how many times the bottle/cup can be re-filled before leaching."

I hope you don't believe that.

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Quote :

"Contrary to misconceptions, the number does not indicate how hard the item is to recycle, nor how often the plastic was recycled. It's an arbitrary number and has no other meaning aside from identifying the specific plastic."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code

Quote :

"There are seven classes of plastics used in packaging applications. Type 7 is the catch-all "other" class, and some type 7 plastics, such as polycarbonate (sometimes identified with the letters "PC" near the recycling symbol) and epoxy resins, are made from bisphenol A monomer.[4] When such plastics are exposed to hot liquids, bisphenol A leaches out 55 times faster than it does under normal conditions, at up to 32 ng/hour.[70] Type 3 (PVC) can also contain bisphenol A as antioxidant in plasticizers.[4] Types 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE), 5 (polypropylene), and 6 (polystyrene) do not use bisphenol A during polymerization or package forming,[71] and thus will not leach bisphenol A into food or beverages."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 1:59 PM. Reason : crazy paranoid people]

6/30/2008 1:54:17 PM

Quote :

"just don't leave your nalgene bottle full of water in your car for 2 weeks in the summer sun before you drink it and you'll be fine"

woops...

6/30/2008 1:58:48 PM

lol

you people and your bottled water

we have some of the best water quality standards in the world

tap wont kill you and its cheap

6/30/2008 1:58:55 PM

Brita works for me

We refill plastic bottles too

6/30/2008 2:00:45 PM

thanks stantheman

6/30/2008 2:05:03 PM

Anyone seen the Penn and Teller "Bullshit" episode on bottled water/spring water? Shit is hilarious. My favorite part is when they trick a whole bunch of people into thinking they're drinking fancy spring water but in the end it's all the same tap water, after the people say they can taste a difference between each type of "spring water". Must see:

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rqsrk0EiZE
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pBcUKTFqPg&feature=related

6/30/2008 2:07:40 PM

bottled water -- 'what's colorless and tasteless and smells like... $?'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901872.html

Quote :

"Desalinated seawater from Hawaii, meanwhile, is being sold as "concentrated water" -- at $33.50 for a two-ounce bottle. Like any concentrated beverage, it is supposed to be diluted before drinking, except that in this case, that means adding water to . . . water."

i've sampled probably close to 200,000 L of this seawater from hawaii for my thesis research -- who knew i should've been collecting it, desalting it, and then making a fortune off of it... 'concentrated water' -- awesome

6/30/2008 2:24:50 PM

Quote :

"im sure any effect of whatever you imagine is leaching into your drinking water is negligible at best"

You're not sure. I think that's the problem. There hasn't been enough published research to link bisphenol-a to any long term endocrine damage. But obviously the CDC thinks so, they are much more qualified than you or I. IMO.

6/30/2008 2:56:31 PM

^^ I wonder if people would buy canned air from Hawaii or other exotic places. I need to start collecting Garner air and selling it for mucho dinero

6/30/2008 3:04:24 PM

Quote :

"Nalgene has been quick to release a bisphenol A free bottle."

AND they still claim that their polycarb BPA producing bottles are harmless, by selling them alongside the new bottles.

interesting logic.

6/30/2008 4:12:35 PM

just get a wooden or galvanized bucket, plant some long gourds, dry and cut them, and keep them near the bucket. If you want to get fancy, lay something on the water to keep the flies out. seriously, though. bottled water is a joke. We have 2 wells on the farm and I get better water out of the end of a hose than from a bottle without paying for it. I just let it run till it gets cold. there is a county water system here, but we are too far off of the highway to get it. I don't see the point of it though. It pulls water from the same aquifer as our wells, it's just about 2 miles away.

7/2/2008 8:22:04 AM