The Short Answer? Stainless Steel
January 22, 2010 by Mecca · Leave a Comment
A reusable water bottle cheat sheet
Sometimes my knowledge gets hazy. For instance, I know plastic water bottles are bad but the chemical acronyms get confusing. And while metal bottles are touted as the best choice, not all that shines is safe. Tired of confusing BPA’s with PVC’s, I made a cheat sheet with the incredibly shortened version of what to remember about reusable water bottles, worst to best. (If it’s still too much to remember, just get a stainless steel water bottle – it’s the safest.)
- One-use, Throw-away Plastic Water Bottles, or the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) - the absolute worst option. These are the ones you pick up at the corner gas station, housing everything from water to soda to juice. These bottles contain DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), a chemical Congress banned from children’s toys because it has been linked to reproductive problems and other health effects. Read smaller penis size and undescended testes in boy babies.
- Reusable Plastic Bottles, polycarbonates. Your sport water bottle is probably made out of this. The problem with polycabonate is Bisphenol A, BPA, which has been linked to prostate cancer and other bad news. Many companies have now discontinued the use of BPA and you can find many BPA-Free labeled options out there which leads us to…
- BPA-Free Reusable Plastic Bottles. If you’re buying plastic, yes by all means get BPA-Free. BUT you’re still buying plastic, a chemical wonder product, that may or may not contain the next harmful ingredient we haven’t found out about yet. And there’s that whole environment thing…
- Reusable Aluminum or Stainless Steel Water Bottles. The short answer is go with stainless steel. Stainless steel is inert and doesn’t leach, while aluminum containers must be lined to keep the metal from leaching into your drink – linings that introduce a whole new questionable element (remember Sigg?). Plus, stainless steel can usually go right into the dishwasher.
Kleen Kanteen seems to be the internet’s favorite stainless steel bottle. They come in a variety of styles and cost about $20. There are cheaper options available, just don’t be too picky. I have a stainless steel Nike Golf water bottle my husband gifted me a while back. Since neither of us has ever clutched a nine-iron, I’m guessing it was on sale. And after the subject of reusable water bottles popped up on my mom’s group message board, a few of the women wrote they had scored some great bargains on stainless steel bottles at stores like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx. Once you know what you’re looking for, stainless steel in this case, finding a good buy is easy.
Happy Drinking!
