Water Bottles for Running, Cycling and Hiking

There’s nothing better than a great big gulp of H2O when we want to quench our thirst while active. And up until the last week or so we did so without thinking about the effects - its only water. Its the bottle not the water.

We buy almost any water bottle without concern that the bottle itself was or may have been harmful to our health - apart from the cutting of our lips, or the odd minor nuisance. However, now news and research has shown that there are versions of plastic out there deemed to be somewhat toxic -to very very minor degrees - we may have to re-think the simple pleasure of grabbing the water bottle and sucking away at our water.

Read what the Labour Alliance Environmental Society from Western Canada states:

According to several recent studies, polycarbonate plastic readily leaches a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into foods and liquids that are stored in containers made from it. BPA has been identified as an endocrine disrupting chemical, or a chemical that easily mimics hormones when absorbed by the human body. In the case of BPA, the hormone being mimicked is estrogen. Exposure to this compound at the wrong time can cause a cell division problem called aneuploidy in which chromosomes do not evenly split as a cell divides, leaving the two resulting cells with more or fewer chromosomes than normal. This uneven distribution of genetic material can in turn lead to cancer, miscarriage, and birth defects that include Down’s Syndrome.

Low levels of BPA, including those well below the current regulatory safety threshold, have also been shown to affect prostate development, promote prostate tumors, affect breast tissue development and sperm counts, and even possibly create and enlarge fat cells. (www.leas.ca)

Another international perspective is the article from Chemistry World written by German scientists written in January 2006. So the discussion has been around for a while.

The plastic is called Lexan Polycarbonate and is used in CDs, DVDs, mobile phone, computers, and bullet proof windows (that we all have, right?) So don’t be alarmed, you won’t mutate or lose your fingernails. The concern is more for babies, pregnant mothers or those sensitive to the negligible effects that this plastic poses.

So what does this mean for those of you active people who consume water from bottle? Simplest thing to do is check the bottom of the bottle and look for a triangle. In the middle of that triangle there is a number such as 3, 4 and so on. If there is a “7″, then throw it our or use it for a flower pot or whatever.

While there might be risk for health using these bottles, there is undoubtedly a risk to the environment. These bottles don’t break down in refills. If they are fire blasted they release toxic fumes. So the best net is to by metal, steel or some other form of hard plastic that you plan on keeping for a while.

When you look at the aStore through the link in the top of the right panel, you will come across water bottles in the Running category, keep this discussion in mind.

FUNQUE - 2
Because of the cloudiness and concerns raised we’ll have to give the regulatory folks a downgrade on this one due to their lack of a timely response.