One of our readers wrote
"If
the bottles that you sell are Lexan polycarbonate resin, according to an
article posted by Dr. Joseph Mercola, they're not as safe as once thought."
Larry's response; Dr. Mercola reported on Nalgene and Lexan
polycarbonate. He seemed to be responding to input about the leaching of
plasticizers (Bisphenol A, a compound with estrogen-like activity) from polycarbonate bottles. However, one has to look at the
facts of the matter and seriously consider the practicality of the
matter. It seems the FDA test people boiled some
polycarbonate for many hours (perhaps even days). They measured the
amount of potentially harmful material that ended up in the water. It
was less than 1 part per billion parts of water.
That means that in order to achieve a toxic level of material a person would need to
consume well over 1,000 pounds of that water every day for the rest of their life.
First, it isn't likely that anyone would
be boiling their polycarbonate bottle for that many hours and then using
the water in which they did the boiling.
Second, who the heck would ever consume that much material?
Also, that much water would, in itself, be toxic. See Water
Intoxication on the bottom of this page.
On an absolute basis, polycarbonate is
probably less safe than glass. But it would take a monumental effort to show a
real, practical difference. It's easy to take a small amount of data and
act hysterical about it. Chicken Little became famous for over reacting.
I'm the first to admit that we live in a toxic world. However, if we
reject everything that poses a risk we might as well roll up into a ball
and die. We do our best to drink clean water, eat grass-fed beef and
fresh-caught salmon. We eat organic and avoid as much high fructose corn
syrup as we can. Still, there is ALWAYS a chance that something,
someplace will "GET US".
Glass is a very safe as a container
for water, but (as Mercola states too) it isn't a very good choice for
traveling. It is heavy and much too fragile. The primary non-plastic
alternative to glass is stainless steel. Stainless steel might be a good alternative. But again
prudence should be consulted. Storing acidic juices in a stainless
bottle can possible dissolve heavy metals from the stainless steel
because nickel, niobium, molybdenum, and titanium are used in its
manufacture. But, the same thing can happen if you cook an acidic
substance in a stainless steel pot; spaghetti sauce comes to mind.
NOTHING IS PERFECTLY
SAFE.
EVERYTHING BEARS SOME LEVEL OF RISK.
Heck, the water starts out contaminated
before it ever gets into the bottle. Sure, you might used filtered
water, but chances are good that there is still fluoride - not to
mention all the toxic chemical and drugs that have been reported in our
rivers and streams.
However, I still prefer to drink water more
than practically another beverage and the polycarbonate bottles are fine
by me (the manufacturer has enough safety data to quell my fears). I
have absolutelyno problem using them. I have several - and
some stainless ones too. I don't boil mine and drink the water they were
boiled in. I wash them with
mild detergent or vinegar and I rinse it well with filtered water. I suppose there are
potential dangers in everything we use, but I think we can go too far
when we fear everything.
It's good to be careful, but being too careful
is paralyzing.
Dr.
Mercola concludes his remarks with "So
pay attention to the container you store your water in. If you can’t use
glass, only use one of the ... "safe" plastic jars." He
considers the following to be SAFE:
Polypropylene, designated "#5
PP"
High-density polyethylene,
designated "#2HDPE"
Low-density polyethylene,
designated "#4 LDPE"
Here's Dr. Mercola's
articlehttp://www.mercola.com/2004/apr/7/nalgene_water.htm
(you might have to submit your email address
to read the whole thing. Dr. Mercola does
everything possible these days to capture as
many potential subscribers as possible. His
marketing efforts are becoming legendary.
He's even being asked to present his
systems at very expensive
marketing seminars.
Recently I've become
aware of a problem associated with drinking water in bottles. I think it
can be far more serious than the miniscule amounts of chemicals that
might show up in a Lexan bottle. Recent reports suggest that commercial
bottled water is usually no better than regular tap water (yet costs a
ton more). It consumes fossil fuels for energy to make the bottles and
transport them. When empty, the bottles are clogging our waste sites
with materials do not degrade in the land fill. Tons of carbon dioxide
are spewed into the atmosphere which further contributes to the
quantities of greenhouse gasses. I conclude, then, that if I want to
have some clean water with me I ought to clean it myself and place it in
a container I believe is safe. For me that can be glass, Lexan
polycarbonate, or even glass. My goal is to have clean water available
and NOT further pollute the environment.
You can probably find containers
locally. What about clean water? I suggest you contact my friend,
Jim McMahon. He knows how to make clean water and he can recommend a
system that will meet your needs. I guarantee that you can trust
him. I have one of his larger systems in my house and it is grand. I
must point out that I receive absolutely no compensation of any kind
for recommending Jim. Click
HERE for a link to Jim McMahon at
WATER
INTOXICATION: Drinking too much water
can lead to a condition known as water
intoxication and to a related problem
resulting from the dilution of sodium in the
body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is
most commonly seen in infants under six
months of age and sometimes in athletes. A
baby can get water intoxication as a result
of drinking several bottles of water a day
or from drinking infant formula that has
been diluted too much. Athletes can also
suffer from water intoxication. Athletes
sweat heavily, losing both water and
electrolytes. Water intoxication and
hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person
drinks too much water without the
accompanying electrolytes.
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