Snow Skills

A recent comment on our May 21, 2007 post regarding Nalgene bottles got us to do some research on Nalgene bottles about potential health hazards. By chance, we’d recently seen a posting in the Lake of the Clouds Hut on Mt. Washington about the use of #7 plastic in bottles can mean exposure to bisphenol-A, which may impact the human endocrine system.

Several web sources were consulted for this topic and the short answer is that the risks to humans from exposure to bisphenol-A is not clear. To complicate matters, it’s not clear that all Nalgene bottles are made from the polycarbonate material (a.k.a. #7 plastic) that may or may not represent a risk.

One of our fellow blog sites, TheGreenGuide.com has some useful information on this topic. This article says to avoid #7 plastic because the polycarbonate will leach bisphenol-A, particularly with exposure to very hot temperatures over a long period of time. Nalgene products have various compositions, including polycarbonate, but no specific testing of these products has been performed.

This issue is inconclusive as previous studies have indicated the potential for harm to mice and a direct link to humans hasn’t been established. Another article on this issue indicates that the potential for harm could be greater for women as it may interfere with estrogen levels. There is no clear data on this potential and North Carolina University has a grant to perform testing on mice to determine the risks.

So what can you? In the absence of a conclusion, here are some suggestions to continue using Nalgene bottles that seem like common sense:

1) Replace a Nalgene bottle periodically or after extended use.
2) Heat appears to increase the potential for leaching of bisphenol-A, so wash your Nalgene bottles by hand in warm water, mild detergent, and rack dry.
3) Use your Nalgene bottle for cold fluids only. If you use Nalgenes with hot water for a sleeping bag heater, use that bottle only for that purpose.
4) Don’t use bleach to clean Nalgene bottles.
5) Use aluminum, stainless steel, or polypropylene bottles.