Goodbye to a faithful friend...

Here's the lowdown on the threat of cancer-causing toxins leaching into your drinking water from your Nalgene bottle (which has caused major Canadian retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op or MEC to pull them off their shelves in December 2007, according to Yahoo! News on Dec. 23, 2007). A harmful chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) was found to leach into bottle contents, not just in old, worn bottles or in bottles treated with harsh detergents as initially found in a 1997 Case Western Reserve University study, but also in new bottles at room temperature, according to a 2003 University of Missouri study. BPA is found to an imbalance in cells' genetic material, potentially leading to cancer, miscarriage, and birth defects. A Canadian group called Environment Defence tested a sample of Canadians for toxic chemicals and found that every single person had bisphenol A in his or her blood. (Which means I must be screwed).

So here is what to look out for: plastics marked with recycling symbol #7 (not all #7 plastics are harmful, but there's no way to tell difference so it is suggested to avoid them all). See this paragraph from an article in Non-Toxic Times, a publication of the non-toxic product company Seventh Generation, for specifics on plastic types (which I found pretty interesting, we use so much of this stuff every day, and how often do you pay attention to the little number in the recycling symbol on the bottom?):

Unfortunately, polycarbonate plastic bottles and containers are identified by the plastic recycling symbol #7, which is used for a wide variety of plastics and plastic mixtures that fall into the "Other" category. Unless this #7 symbol is accompanied by the letters "PC", there's no sure way to tell if the container in question is made from polycarbonate or some other kind. To be safe, environmental advocates suggest simply avoiding #7 plastics altogether and opting for safer choices for food and beverage storage. These better options include polypropylene (#5 PP), high density polyethylene (#2 HDPE), and low density polyethylene (#4 LDPE). No evidence has been found to suggest that these plastics leach toxic materials. Scientists advise against the repeated use of plastic water bottles made from plastic type #1 PETE as there is evidence to suggest that such bottles leach a compound known as DEHA, which is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen, as well as acetaldehyde, which has received the same designation from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. (http://leas.ca/On-the-Trail-of-Water-Bottle-Toxins.htm)

Some friends were warning me about this, so I investigated and low and behold, I do believe them. Now I use a sleek-looking stainless steel guy. He's pretty cool. Sorry Nalgene, you have been a loyal, dependable companion to me for a couple years now. I will miss you!