Thursday, January 10, 2008

Water Bottles

So many questions and thoughts surrounding water and water bottles today!

Just talking to my sister Ang out in Edmonton.... She just recently opened up a Moksha Yoga Studio (hot yoga) out there and is selling Sigg water bottles along with some other yoga stuff. She was saying that since Lululemon pulled the Nalgene water bottles off the shelf last year, she has been getting more questions about the best containers for water. Interestingly enough I told her, I've been getting the same questions over the last year from my patients and friends.

Here's the scoop:
Most plastics have the numbers 1 through 7 stamped on the bottom to indicate how to dispose or recycle the plastic. Number 1 bottles, that typically hold water or soda or juice, contain PET which cause the plastic to degrade and leach into the water with crinkling and reuse. The small mouth also makes them hard to wash therefore bacteria can be a problem.

Number 7 bottles, hard plastic ones like Nalgene or baby bottles, contain bisphenol-A, a hormone disrupter. Studies on its effects are currently being done. Number 2 and Number 5 bottles are currently the safest and can be found on yogurt containers.

What do I think? If you are going to drink bottled water, drink it and then recycle it, don't keep reusing the bottle. When you are at your desk or at home drink from glass. And if you need something for on-the-go or at the gym or at Moksha Yoga, buy a stainless steel, glass, or Sigg bottle which is aluminum that has been tested to not leach!

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