I came to hard Nalgene water bottles late in life. I always preferred soft bottles, but then I was given a white, stiff, translucent Nalgene which worked out so when I was given three of those brightly colored, hard, water bottles as gifts, I didn’t see any difference and switched over. Now, after a couple of years, I am switching back because there is some support for the idea that I should have stuck with the white bottles. I like the colors and I don’t mind projecting a younger image, but I am beginning to wonder what I am really drinking.
This is one of those decisions that you will have to make for yourself. I will, however, point you at some of the stuff on the Net.
There are three varieties of Nalgene (and similar) water bottles. The hard, brightly colored, ones are made of Lexan. That’s the same as the plastic containers with the “7″ inside the recycling triangle. There are two other varieties, usually translucent, made of #2 plastic (HDPE) or #4 plastic (LDPE). The #2 bottles tend to be hard or at least stiff, the #4 bottles tend to be softer. Some of the literature points to #2 bottles as the best bet, but most seems to accept #2, #4 and #5 equally.
Interestingly, many of the cheap “gimme” bottles handed out as promotional items are #2 or #4. Most of the clear, disposable, bottles of water you buy in stores are #1 plastic, also suspect.
Recent studies are tuning up measurable amounts of plastic-related contaminants in adults, but levels are many times higher in children. There is some fear that the number of products consumed by children which come in plastic containers is leading to this increase—baby bottles, juice, and water are just three examples. I took a look around the food stash I keep in the office for those times when I skip breakfast and don’t pack a lunch and was somewhat disheartened by the amount of plastic that food is packed in and cooked in. I was happy to find that milk bottles are #2 plastic, but sad about the fact that Coke bottles are #1.
There is evidence that Lexan bottles break down after a period of time. Detergents and the elevated temperatures of dishwashers are suspect. Keep in mind that Scouts carry more than water in those bottles. Fruit juice, hot chocolate, and Tang are just some of the liquids commonly carried. Bottles are also subjected to rough treatment so there is constant agitation of the liquid inside and it is not unusual for the bottles to be exposed to heat.
So look around the Net. Check out what groups like the Sierra Club have to say. Then make your own decision. Personally, I now am back to my Nalgene bottles made of #4 plastic and a couple of cheap gimme bottles which are soft, but still #2. I am looking for a lightweight metal bottle and when I find one, I will stop using plastic altogether. Even with metal bottles there can be a problem however. It seems that some of them have a resin coating and now you are back to plastic in contact with liquid.
You will also find articles which say that you should not worry about this one bit although it it interesting that many argue from the standpoint that the level of contaminants isn’t high enough to cause harm rather than that there is no contamination.
Here is a PDF which contains a picture of some common water bottles.
Here are some links to get you started:
http://sustainablesteps.blogspot.com/2006/10/imprint-is-nalgene-all-that-green.html
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200311/lol5_printable.asp
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/01/10/umbra-bottles2/
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-plastics10sep10,1,4895907.column?coll=la-headlines-health
http://tinyurl.com/2g5kl3 (New York Times, 5 Jan 2008)
An explanation of which plastic is which and maybe a good place to start can be found at:
http://www.agobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083
-Hank