To use or not to use the #7 Bottle?

I had just completed my workout this morning (and was feeling very pleased with myself for getting my butt out of bed for a 6AM workout class!), and was using my sports water bottle (Nalgene, made from #7 plastic), when I heard Matt Lauer and Dr. Leo Trasande explaining that we should “ never be using these bottles.”

Watch the clip from The Today Show titled “Are plastic bottles safe?” here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/
Here is a follow up clip from The Today Show 04/10/08


In the interview with Matt Lauer, Dr. Leo Trasande of the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggested that consumers shouldn’t use the #7 bottles because of the risk of Bisphenol A (BPA) leaching. BPA has been known to cause health issues affecting hormones and fertility. In fact, according to a January article in the Globe and Mail, boiling water can spike levels of BPA. In another study by Environment California, there were findings that BPA causes “a staggering number of health problems, including prostate and breast cancer, obesity, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, brain damage, altered immune system, lowered sperm counts and early puberty.”

These findings concerning BPA prompted a Canadian Retailer to remove Nalgene and other polycarbonate containers from its store, according to the NY Times.

As someone who seeks out organic food, visits local farmers markets and pays attention to the packaging industry (After all, my job focuses on helping companies brand their packaging. And I have a lot of food clients!), these issues are top priority to me.

The question now is, how will the plastics industry respond to this? JoAnn Hines, Packaging Diva and Executive Director of Women In Packaging explained it this way. “Two companies, Nalgene and Brita, have developed an entire marketing campaign around refilling your water bottle to save the environment, touting it as a solution to the water bottle sustainability issue. When I mentioned this at the Best Practices Summit, several people came up to me afterwards and asked me about the chemical leaching issue. Now there’s this exposé. Who’s right and what’s a poor consumer to do if we can’t use or reuse water in plastic bottles?”

Weigh in on this issue by posting your thoughts and commentary on this blog!