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Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
By Lisa Frack
Not so long ago, many of us were happily - and possibly a little smugly - sipping water from our reusable aluminum water bottles. Including my kids (such cute designs, right?).
Until, that is, we learned that Sigg and Gaiam bottles weren't exactly the BPA-free solution we had spent all that money on.
Naturally we rushed to dump them, exchange them, find something safer (and preferably cheaper!). And we heard the understandable question that rang throughout consumerland:
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
At EWG we know (and knew) that all reusable aluminum water bottles are lined - because no-one likes to drink straight from aluminum. It just doesn't taste right. In fact, we even suggested that people go with stainless steel instead to avoid the plastic liner - which we suspected might contain BPA.
Why?
Because that plastic liner happens to be an epoxy resin liner, whose "key building block," according to the American Chemistry Council, is (you guessed it) BPA. And stainless steel doesn't need one; unscrew that Klean Kanteen and what do you see inside? More stainless steel.
See for yourself how the bottles are made
Check out this excellent "how it's made" video - it'll take you all the way from aluminum "puck" to epoxy resin liner (kids welcome, it's educational). Courtesy of Sigg (they should know).
Now you know.
For the many people who aren't immersed in the science of chemicals and human health, as we are, it simply didn't cross their minds that their metal water bottle was also plastic.
Just as it still hasn't crossed many people's minds that their metal food cans are lined with plastic (yes, there's BPA in that, too). Because we're busy. We just want to eat the food and drink the water, already.
[Thanks to Flickr CC & EthanPDX for the perfect pic]
I know many more people in my circle of friends/family who use the original Klean Kanteen bottles, not the knockoffs that Gaiam and Sigg produce. So are Klean Kanteens also lined with BPA or other epoxy resins?
In the last six months or so I've learned that canned food had a plastic lining. Kind of a bummer, but luckily I don't use a ton of canned foods and so I didn't really have to adjust my grocery shopping or food prep much. BUT I do use a lot of food packaged in aseptic boxes - mostly veggie broth for making soup. And the occasional indulgence of chocolate hemp milk. Anyone know if those have any kind of funky liner in them?
JB,
Klean Kanteens are made from stainless steel, not aluminum, so they don't need a liner to protect the flavor of the contents from the metal, as aluminum does.
Here's a link to the KK site showing how their bottles are made: http://www.kleankanteen.com/about/kanteen-101/features.html.
Hope that helps. Lisa
I've said many times since this all came out that I am so glad I chose Kleen Kanteen. It really did come down to not wanting to deal with a liner. Too hard to really be sure of it as a consumer. I am so glad I made that choice.
Lisa, Thanks for your question. You can get the basics about aseptic processing/packaging here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aseptic_processing. The basic materials are paper, aluminum, and a plastic called polyethylene, or LDPE. EWG has not researched the environmental health issues of this type of packaging. We are aware that it can be challenging to recycle because aseptic packages are made of multiple material layers, and recycling works one material at a time. Hope this helps, Lisa Frack, EWG
Why does everything have to be encased in this plastic, including mayonaise...Juice, etc. EEEKKK! This plastic is everywhere. Are they trying to kill us all? Demand Glass and demand deposits on it. Just like in the good old days.
Very true - I bet most people wouldn't expect any plastic in those bottles at all. It really is terrible that there are always 'hidden' ingredients. Makes it so hard to be green and healthy - but at least this knowledge will help a lot of people!
The thing with Sigg really ticked me off. When I found out about it - I went out and found a local company that would provide me a good bottle in stainless steel.
For those of you that are BPA-Free fanatics but don't always know how to start the conversation - I have a solution for you. PBC - Poison Bottle Company. I found them in my backyard (sort-of...I lived in Aurora, Co when I found them).
They make a good stainless steel bottle - but even better, they put a poison label (part of their logo) on the bottle. In just a week, I have had 7 people ask me about the poison label on my bottle. That is 7 more families informed of the dangers of lined Sigg bottles and plastic bottles.
Regardless of where you get your bottle - please raise awareness. That is the only way we can make a difference beyond our own families.
-Will...a parent of 4 boys that do not use plastic bottles!
I read that SIGG Bottle are now, and have been for a while, BPA free. They used to be writing about this on their website, and how the BPA liner is darker than the new one, but its gone now... weird.
I would assume the reason that Sigg no longer has the information about the old liners is because the offer for exchanging bottles with the older liner ended October 31. But, any questions or concerns should be directed to Sigg's CEO Steve Wasik (who has made a valiant effort to personally address people's letters and concerns to him regarding the liners). There has been a tremendous amount of criticism from EWG and some readers about Sigg and the liners. My experience with Sigg was very positive. The CEO corresponded with me continuously until my concerns were addressed and they exchanged all of our bottles purchased over the years (no questions asked) free of charge even though their old liners were tested repeatedly and shown NOT to leach BPA. I received a gift certificate to purchase anything from their current line (BPA free via August 2008). I don't know many other companies who would voluntarily endure such a huge financial loss to stand behind their product and provide customer service. Do I need perfection? No, just product safety and personal/corporate responsibility. I feel that Sigg has provided both.
This brings up a concern of mine: do stainless steel travel cups have a plastic liner, too? We tend to brew our tea in them in the morning, so they are getting boiling water poured directly into them. It keeps the tea nice and hot, but, are we getting a dose of BPA along with our tea???
D,
All cups are different, so you should look inside and see what's there (more stainless steel or something else?), and call the manufacturer to ask. That way you'll get an answer AND let the manufacturers know that consumers care about BPA/non-toxic products. Every little bit helps to move the market.
I can suggest that you visit a web-based BPA-free store where you'll find a wide array of products, including a stainless steel coffee/tea travel mug: http://www.thesoftlanding.com/. We can't vouch for all the products, of course, but Alicia (the owner and founder) we can vouch for!
Good luck, Lisa Frack, EWG
I'm looking for a water bottle I can take with me to Egypt - so that I can NOT drink the bottled water there. It's shipped around in trucks that I know reach temps of 200 degrees F or more, leaving plastic into the water, not to mention that it's so wasteful.
So, do you know of a portable water bottle that can filter water on the go, from tap water? I'm looking for something that comes in many sizes. If I'm out on expedition for the whole day, I'll need to take a big bottle with me. But if I'm out and about, a small bottle will do.
It's a quandry. Let me know if EWG can help!
kara
Our local hardware store, an ACE store, made an arrangement with SIGG to exchange any of the bottles their customers bought for new ones with new BPA-free liners. I feel that, because of the company's efforts to register and respond to consumer's concerns, we should stop using SIGG as an example of Bad Guys, when they are not. I think the company has done everything they can to comply with our needs and concerns.
The following includes information from my book "The Wellness Project."
Many of you may remember the movie "Erin Brockovich," which centered around the potent carcinogen known as "hexavalent chromium" appearing in drinking water, and the devastation it caused in a small California town.
Well, here is my guess at a sequel. Food grade stainless steel is used throughout the food industry for the preparation and storage of virtually every type of prepared food. It is also touted as a safe water bottle material, and is the metal of choice for flatware. Surgical grade stainless is implanted in the body.
Stainless steel is the name given to iron based alloys containing at least 10% chromium. It is well known that all iron alloys exposed to water and oxygen will corrode. Could hexavalent chromium leach from stainless steel into our food?
The chromium industry was concerned enough to do a study on it. Their conclusion: yes, hexavalent chromium does leach into the food, coupled with the self-serving statement that it is not likely that much of it will be absorbed by the user! Not my cup of tea. See:
http://www.icdachromium.com/pdf/publications/crfile1sep96.htm .
I do not cook or store food in metal, and use sterling silver for flatware.
For me, glass or uncolored ceramic containers are the way to go.
Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com