Ditch Plastic Bottles for Stainless Steel Ones

From the October 15, 2007, Environment section of Maclean's magazine, an article about the move to go green and protect your health by ditching plastic water bottles for metal ones:

PLASTIC BOTTLES GET THE ECO-BOOT
In light of new research, metal bottles are the 'safer,' greener - and cooler - way to hydrate

By Nancy MacDonald

Louisa Morris, a 29-year-old Vancouver lawyer, recently ditched the Nalgene water bottle she once carried every single day to the University of Calgary law school. In July, she traded up, forking over $30 for a sexy new stainless steel version. The high-polished metal bottle looks sharp. But Morris's decision had nothing to do with style. Two years ago, the Ontario-born family lawyer was diagnosed with cancer after finding a pea-sized lump in her breast. In her final year of law school she had a full mastectomy on her right side, and endured six rounds of chemotherapy. Morris, a non-smoker, has no cancer in her family, and tested negative for the genes associated with breast cancer. Her doctors attribute the onset of cancer while in her twenties to environmental factors. Because of this, Morris tends to tune in to findings of carcinogens in consumer products. So does her boyfriend, lawyer Neil Chantler - who chucked his trusted old Nalgene bottle, too.

They're part of a growing number of consumers who are looking for alternatives after reports that a chemical in the polycarbonate plastic used in the trademark bottles may be unsafe. Polycarbonate was once considered a giant leap forward in plastics: it's sturdy, lightweight and clear - and it doesn't transfer taste, as Nalgene fanatics are quick to point out. Yet it's come under scrutiny after reports that the plastic leaches bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor currently under review by the Canadian government. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Authority had both concluded that the chemical is safe for food grade use. But recent controversial studies link BPA - also found in a huge range of products, including baby bottles, plastic-lined tin cans, and kids' toys - to reproductive abnormalities, neurological disorders, prostate cancer and pre-cancerous breast tissues.

Proponents like the American Chemistry Council have argued that recent, headline-grabbing reports are based on animal studies, and urge consumers to ignore the scare stories. But the mouse has always been a pretty good model for humans, says geneticist Patricia Hunt, who observed chromosomal abnormalities in lab mice exposed to BPA in 1998. Since then, the science has been "nailed down," argues Frederick vom Saal, the University of Missouri-Columbia biology professor who's leading the scientific charge against BPA. "It's just a question of whether the regulatory community acknowledges the hazards of this chemical." Rick Smith, the executive director of the Toronto-based Environmental Defence, is predicting that this will be among the dominant debates in the area of the environment in the next few years.

Meanwhile, public concern is already having an effect on the market. The plastic panic - combined with the recent backlash against wasteful bottled water, now seen as a big environmental sinner - is causing a spike in sales of metal water bottles. "We've seen sales go from zero to a hundred," says John Green, manager of Vancouver's Altus Mountain Gear. "Cost is no longer a major issue. People are saying, 'My health is worth the 35 bucks.'" Mountain Equipment Co-op began offering a $9.75 stainless-steel model three months ago, and metal bottles now account for half of the sports bottles sold at its Vancouver outlet. Nearby Valhalla Pure Outfitters, which used to seel two to three Nalgene bottles every day in summer, sold only a handful over the entire season this year. A.J. Brooks Outdoor Outfitters doesn't even stock them anymore.

Once ubiquitous on university campuses, where they emerged as the accessory of choice among young, outdoorsy types, Nalgene bottles are being displaced by metal bottles, says Valhalla sales associate - and University of British Columbia student - Aja O'Gorman. "It's like the whole 'buy green' movement: it's cool to have a conscience." Plus, she says, they look a lot nicer. Sigg, the Swiss maker of the most coveted - and priciest - products in the category, was even recognized by New York City's Museum of Modern Art for its chic shapes and design.

Morris admits her new stainless steel bottle is pricey, and it sweats a bit. Plus, it gives the water a slightly metallic taste. "Who knows?" she says,. "In a few years' time they may say there's something wrong with stainless steel."