Nalgene brand may contain toxic plastics

If you don’t have one, you probably know someone who does.

The nearly indestructible, clear plastic water bottles that are so often found around Missoula may start to disappear now that Nalgene, the brand that helped make them popular, decided to stop using polycarbonate plastic to produce the bottles.

Nalgene Outdoor Products made the decision last week to stop using the plastic after the Canadian government announced that it is likely to declare a necessary component of the bottles – bisphenol-A, or BPA – toxic.

“It appears to me that there is sufficient cause for concern,” said Bryan Thornton, general manager of the Bookstore at the University of Montana.

“As a retailer,” Thornton said, “the responsible thing to do is to: number one, warn people and number two, offer alternatives so the consumer has choice. And that’s what we do.”

Before the concern about BPA came up, the Bookstore had already eliminated Nalgene merchandise in favor of cheaper generic alternatives.

One line of generic bottles at the Bookstore appears to contain the toxic substance, and Dave Petelin, UM logo wear buyer for the Bookstore, said they have been in contact with manufacturers.  The Bookstore staff remains uncertain as to whether other bottles contain BPA.

The generic bottles have no identification codes that let consumers know what went into the making of the plastic.

The identification code found on the bottom of most plastic bottles is used to identify the resin content that went into producing the bottle, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry.

Most resins used in making plastics are represented by an identification code between one and six, which are all BPA-free. But Nalgene bottles are a number seven, the “other” category, indicating the plastic was made with either a different resin or a combination of resins, including BPA.

Thornton said if the generic bottles do contain BPA, then they would eventually stop selling the bottles in favor of an alternative.

One alternative, said Petelin, is CamelBak’s BPA-free bottles. He said that CamelBak has been proactive in terms of creating a bottle that uses materials not associated with health concerns.

CamelBak’s BPA-free bottles are made from an Eastman Tritan copolyester that is more resistant to heat, which better prevents the leaching of possible harmful chemicals.

BPA can migrate in small amounts from plastic storage containers into foods and beverages, according to the European Food Safety Authority. But it is estimated that people’s average dietary exposure to BPA is well below the tolerable daily intake.

In a statement released last week, the American Chemistry Council, a trade association representing chemical manufacturers, said, “The use of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins for food contact applications has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, the Japanese Ministry for Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide.”

Thornton said the Bookstore will continue to sell the generic bottles until they determine whether they contain BPA. If they do, he said they will inform customers of the concern until an alternative is found.

“As long as there’s choice,” Thornton said. “Let the consumer decide what they want to do.”