Drink freely

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

The outdoor industry had a problem. Consumers were clamoring for BPA-free water bottles. The plastics industry insists BPA doesn’t pose any threats to people but concerns over the possible health risks of bisphenol A, an industrial chemical, aren’t going away, and consumer groups continue to issue warnings.

So companies have come up with solutions. REI had had 28,000 pounds of water bottles that it had pulled off the shelves because of concerns over BPA. Instead of piling them in landfills, REI teamed with Aladdin and created recycled, repurposed eCycle travel mugs.

The mugs, which come in glacier, dusk, pine and mulberry shades, feature a double wall with the repurposed polycarbonate on the outer wall where it has no contact with your beverage. The mug weighs 12 ounces and holds 16 fluid ounces; it costs $14.95.

Water bottle giant Nalgene no longer makes bottles with the industrial chemical and has a complete line of BPA-free products.

Another popular bottle-maker, Sigg, found itself making headlines recently when its CEO revealed that the epoxy liner in the company’s aluminum bottles contained trace amounts of BPA until the company switched to a “BPA-Free EcoCare liner” in August, 2008.

So what kind of water bottles are BPA-free? According to TreeHugger.com, Camelbak and Kor One join Nalgene’s new BPA-free bottles.

- Deb Acord

CAMELBAK STAINLESS STEEL BETTER BOTTLE 75L PATTERN WATER BOTTLE