With the crazy hot weather, staying hydrated is really important and water is certainly a better choice than soda. And yes, we’re supposed to drink 8+ glasses of water a day, which I do. But I have to say the plastic bottle thing has got to stop.
Everywhere I go people are carrying their Dasani and Aquafina but have you ever thought about where all those bottles go when people are done with the water? A small percentage get recycled but mostly, they end up in landfills; tons and tons and tons of them. That in itself is inexcusable. Is that what we want to leave for our children and grandchildren? A world filled with toxic plastic leftovers?
There is, however, another reason to consider kicking the bottled water habit… Carcinogenic and (cancer-causing) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals can leach into the water and then we drink it. The risk of ingesting those chemicals goes up dramatically if you re-use plastic water bottles, put them in the dishwasher etc.
Adding insult to injury, bottles meant to be re-used, like Nalgene Lexan polycarbonate bottles (#7 on the bottom) have been shown to leach BPA’s (bisphenol A).
Recent research has linked the chemical to a variety of disorders, including obesity and breast cancer, and one chilling 2007 study, published in the journal PLoS Genetics, found that BPA exposure can cross generations. Pregnant mice exposed to low levels of BPA led to chromosomal abnormalities, which possibly cause birth defects and miscarriages, in grandchildren. Source
Crossing generations? *shudder*
If you have a strong preference for the reusable Nalgene bottles, they do make safer (supposedly safer…I personally don’t really believe it) alternatives made from #2 high density polyethylene (HDPE). But…the safest and most environmentally friendly option is to skip plastic containers altogether.
You can now get glass baby bottles which are safer and far superior to plastic in every way (other than being breakable, of course) and you can get sippy cups by SIGG in cool metal bottles that leach nothing dangerous into your children’s drinks. (ed. note: SIGG metal reusable bottles do have a water-based liner that is reputedly safe but I just read that if the liner is damaged, leaching can occur. Just an FYI)
Similar to the SIGG bottles are many different varieties
When I think of it like that, the $14.99 I shelled out for a reusable metal kids bottle for my daughter doesn’t sting nearly as much and I can relax a little knowing she’s not getting slowly poisoned.
