Don't Fear Your Reusable Water Bottle

I'm seeing red in my attempts to be green. Back in the last century, a researcher studied the effects of tiny amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) on mice and concluded that he found ill health effects. BPA is a chemical that is present in some clear plastics, including Lexan water bottles and baby bottles, and the research might point out a danger if any BPA leached out of the bottles. It was a small study, and being a good scientist he cooperated with other scientists in an attempt to reproduce his research findings. They did larger studies and could not reproduce the bad health effects. This is the way science works - it has to be reproducible, and scientists are willing to be proven wrong by better, larger studies. Other researchers tortured the water bottles in attempts to get them to actually leach BPA into the water. The results - zero or negligible, far below very strict standards of several nations.

Now, 10 years later, the original, refuted research is being circulated in scare articles in major media - including at least one on our own About.com network. Don't fear your water bottle. Use it, wash it well after use, and recycle it when it gets old and cracked. And as for baby bottles - consider breast feeding whenever possible!

Above all, I'd like to steer you away from disposable water bottles, or cans or single-use glass bottles. Recycling is all well and good, but reducing usage of containers is the kindest thing we can do for the planet. Using a sturdy, refillable water bottle is a great way to be thrifty and reduce the need to make the plastic in the first place.