Are Nalgene Bottles Unsafe? Part 3 [Justin]
This site shows up very well in search engine results, and one of the top posts attracting search engine traffic is this one on whether bisphenol A in Nalgene bottles is dangerous.
I’ve used a Nalgene religiously since 2000, and have consumed probably 2,500 gallons of water using it. In fact, I rarely use a drinking glass. I wash my Nalgene about once a week (see this post for bacteria info, including petri dish photos). If anyone was going to suffer ill health effects from using a Nalgene, it’d be me. No damage to any organs or appendages so far, though. I replace my bottle when the label wears off, and I’m on my third now (actually, my 2nd Nalgene was fine, but I had to replace it after leaving it on a plane).
Today we were in Whole Foods, for some reason, and I bought a Sigg bottle (this one) to see how it compares. I like the way it feels (it’s is one of the few anodized/texturized Sigg bottles), but the mouth is not wide enough to hold ice. I’m big on icewater, so the ice-unfriendliness may be a dealbreaker.
Anyway, Nalgene announced a few weeks ago that they’re phasing out the polycarbonate that traditional Nalgene bottles are made of, in favor of another material, Eastman’s “Tritan” copolyester, which does not contain bisphenol A. I don’t know how this material compares in terms of feel, taste, or durability to polycarbonate, but these bottles will probably become widely available next month. Here’s the press release.
So, if you’re afraid of bisphenol A, you’ll have plenty of alternatives from Nalgene.


