[greenyes] Leaching water bottles

[Amy Perlmutter <amyperl@no.address>]

This is a response to the two messages below.

First, I don¹t believe pthalates are in PET, the common package for water
bottles.  Pthalates are a plasticizer that gives flexibility to rigid
plastics, such as PVC.  PET is already a flexible resin and so pthalates are
not needed.

Secondly, an alternative that many people use are reusable polypropylene
(PP) bottles, like the nalgene or similar bottles you can get at outdoor
stores. This type of plastic is also used in water cooler bottles, baby
bottles and many other uses. There is evidence that PP plastics leach a
chemical called bisphenol A, a hormone disrupter which is linked to birth
defects.  What¹s even scarier is that the leaching is worse when bleach is
used on the plastic, a practice which many people use when their bottles get
a little skanky and which Nalgene promotes on their web site
(http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/technical/cleaning/index.html). This link
tells a little bit about the leaching of bisphenol A in animal cages:
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2003/5993/abstract.html. I have seen an
article on PP bottles and bisphenol A, but can¹t find it. If people are
really interested in this, I can track it down.

Amy 


Amy Perlmutter
Perlmutter Associates
23 Avon Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-354-5456





> -----Original Message-----
> From: Amy Hemmert [mailto:mhemmert@no.address]=20
> Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 1:40 PM
> To: greenyes@no.address
> Subject: [greenyes] reusable water bottles
> 
> I was wondering if anyone has the latest scoop on chemicals leaching out
> of plastic water bottles. I have a water bottle that I refill but am
> somewhat concerned about negative health effects. I certainly don't want
> to use disposables and glass isn't a viable option for me. Any ideas
> about what's safe and what isn't?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Amy
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 20:27:35 -0700
> To: "Heide Feldman" <hfeldman@no.address>,
>     "Amy Hemmert" <mhemmert@no.address>
> From: "Van Calvez" <vcalvez@no.address>
> Cc: <greenyes@no.address>
> Subject: Re: [greenyes] reusable water bottles
> Message-ID: <010901c35713$b02f7080$482066d1@no.address>
> 
> I too am concerned about this issue and I am surprised how little response
> this generates on the GreenYes list serve.
> 
> This seems like it could be a significant public health issue.  How many
> people reuse plastic water bottles?
> We're talking about phthalates leaching out of water bottles.  Phthalates
> are a major reproductive toxin.
> 
> If it leaches on repeated use, has anyone tested if it leaches after sitting
> in a hot warehouse for a year?
> 
> Why does it seem that no one cares about this?
> 
> Van Calvez
> Human Nature Solutions
> Bainbridge, WA