Time to Give Up on Aluminum Water Bottles?
Oct 7, 2009 Eco Friendly Home, Green Health
If you decided to get an aluminum water bottle to avoid waste, and perhaps BPA, there’s a bit of rather frustrating news out today that I came across on Twitter. The Z Recommends website reports that Gaiam’s supposedly BPA-free aluminum water bottles leach far more BPA than Sigg’s bottles did.
Somehow oops doesn’t cover it.
Makes me really glad to have my daughter using a Kleen Kanteen. She loves it, and it puts up with the abuse she gives it at school, which is plenty. Hers is going on a year old and has some small dents, mostly around the bottom, but is otherwise still in good shape. I just like that there’s no question of what kind of coating is inside, as stainless steel doesn’t need one.
It’s sad that you can’t always trust a company’s claims about the safety of its products, especially when they lie about specific selling points. But you can remember who gets caught in a lie.
Tags: BPA, gaiam, kleen kanteen, sigg, water bottles
After This Revelation from Sigg, I’m Glad I Went with Kleen Kanteen
Aug 26, 2009 Eco Friendly Home
Back when I bought my daughter’s Kleen Kanteen (and we have one now for my husband to bring to work too), I took a long time deciding which brand to buy. Sigg’s a huge name, but in the end I chose Kleen Kanteen because I would sooner trust stainless steel than coated aluminum.
Now that Sigg has admitted that their bottle liners do contain but not release BPA, I’m glad I did.
I thought they were wording things in a rather interesting way when I was doing my research. It was always about BPA not being released, very carefully avoiding answering the question of if it was present at all.
BPA doesn’t worry me that much a lot of ways, but there are enough questions about it that I would just as soon avoid it out of principle. Besides, you damage the coating you get exposed to aluminum, which has its own problems.
Now Sigg has admitted that they’ve had to change their liner formula to get rid of BPA. There are some really great articles on how all this went over on Z Recommends, Tree Hugging Family and Non Toxic Kids.
This kind of thing is a huge mistake for any company to make. Just because your evasive answer may have been technically accurate doesn’t mean people won’t feel betrayed when more information comes out. No one likes to feel as though they’ve been tricked.
Sigg’s going to have to do some repair work on their reputation after this mess.
Tags: BPA, kleen kanteen, reusable bottles, sigg
Are Plastic Water Bottles Safe?
Apr 29, 2009 Environmental News
There’s been a lot of controversy in recent times about the presence of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in certain kinds of plastic. According to a new study from scientists in Germany, kinds of plastic that were previously thought safe may also contain substances that interfere with reproductive hormones. The results aren’t definite yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Glass and stainless steel look better every day.
All in all I’m glad I don’t use plastic water bottles, especially the disposable ones. The waste and the question of what’s leeching into the water isn’t something I want to spend a lot of time thinking about.
It was also quite interesting to note that they tested two cardboard boxes similar to juice boxes. Those also apparently showed signs of the compound. However, they also showed in some of the glass bottle water samples taken, so it’s possible that some of the problem related more to the water itself.
Call it another argument in favor of tap water.
Tags: Bisphenol-A, bottled water, BPA, plastic, water
Surprise, Surprise, the FDA Continues to Bury Its Head About BPA
Aug 19, 2008 Eco Friendly Home, Environmental News
I’m not really that surprised anymore when I read that the FDA is siding with industry rather than looking at all the data. The other day they announced yet again that they consider BPA completely safe.
Never mind the 100+ reports by government scientists and independent research labs clearly demonstrating otherwise. They trust the 2 industry reports that say everything is just fine.
About all I can do on this topic anymore is roll my eyes and hope that California does indeed pass a ban on its use in certain children’s products. It would be a start, you know?
Some people justify this as the FDA knowing which resources they can trust. Funny thing, I figured they might want to think about industry bias. Not like they don’t know it hasn’t been done before. I guess they haven’t learned anything at all from how things went with the tobacco industry.
The FDA seems to trust industry to monitor itself. That’s always gone over so very well, after all.
Personally, I’m getting more and more wary of big industry. BPA, gene mod foods, pesticides and even mortgages are showing that you cannot trust big business with people’s lives. The bottom line matters more to them.
And of course, I’m not the only blogger outraged about this:
Edited to add:
Dangit! California rejected the ban!
Do the Little Things Matter?
May 20, 2008 Eco Friendly Home, Eco Friendly Parenting
I often write about the little stuff you can do to live a greener life. But when it comes down to it, how much does all that matter? Doesn’t what the big companies do far outweigh what we individuals control?
Sure. But that doesn’t mean the small stuff isn’t important.
The small things do add up. A single compact fluorescent lightbulb isn’t going to make much of a difference in the carbon output of the world. But all of us together changing over to CFLs where possible will make a difference. Still a smaller difference than many industries could make, but a difference nonetheless.
And then there are all the little things you can do that will matter to your family. Buying organic, local or growing your own garden gives your family the chance to eat better foods. It’s something that can matter to you as an individual as well as be kinder to the environment.
I pack my daughter’s school lunch every day in reusable containers. Do I really think it’s going to make a big difference? No, but it makes some difference. Less plastic wasted. Fewer paper bags thrown out. Better control over the kinds of foods my daughter eats.
And then there’s trying to avoid BPA. This can be a tough one, since some argue whether or not it’s even an issue. The FDA doesn’t have a problem with it after all. But there’s still that potential for it to work as an endocrine disruptor. Canada banned it for that possibility. Should we do less for our families just because it’s a small effect, possibly even not an effect at all?
If it’s a choice between a big thing and a little thing, of course, take care of the big things. Fortunately many of the little things really don’t take much time, and can even just be a part of your regular lifestyle.
Tags: BPA, compact fluorescents, little things, making a difference
