Aluminum bottle manufacturer admits bottles leach BPA
Gaiam admits that bottles previously labeled "BPA-free" leach BPA at nearly 20 times SIGG’s levels.
Wed, Oct 07 2009 at 11:00 AM EST
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Nothing surprises me anymore. Six weeks ago SIGG announced that their aluminum water bottles -- you know, the ones that everyone bought in order to avoid BPA -- actually contained BPA. Now that surprised me. Since that time, I still have not figured out how to resolve my own personal water bottle situation. I want to carry a reusable water bottle. Honestly, I do. I'm on the go a lot, and I drink a lot of water. Ditto for my kids. But I really can't figure out whom to trust.
Case in point ... the news this morning that Gaiam's aluminum water bottles -- the ones that were previously labeled "BPA-free," actually leach BPA at 20 times the levels that SIGG bottles did.
Last week, the website Z recommends published a report that called out Gaiam on the BPA status of their aluminum water bottles -- bottles that were very clearly being sold as "BPA-free." Today, the company has quietly (on its retail website) provided the data from independent lab test results that show BPA leaching levels at 23.8 parts per billion. These findings are more than 10 times the detection limit that SIGG provided in its own water bottle testing and over 18 times more than the leaching levels found in independent studies of SIGG water bottles.
Here is the new wording added to the product description for Gaiam's aluminum water bottles:
Even though it may seem that the BPA testing was extreme, the folks at Z recommends point out that testing at 90 degrees Celsius for a three-day window is a standard testing procedure commonly seen in BPA testing, and was likely part of a standard block of tests for the bottles.
The news is disconcerting to say the least, especially in light of the study I posted about this morning linking prenatal BPA exposure to aggression in toddler girls. What's a green mom to do?
Photo: 1_800_thebear
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Comments
Boo:)
06/21/2010 12:29 PM
I was very surprised when i heard that SIGGs water bottles had BPA in them. My dad started using those water bottles years ago and always loved them. Im happy they have a new liner in them that doesn't contain BPA. But if you want a sure proof way for no BPA, go with Klean Canteen - its stainless steel, no BPA. Great article:)
- Becca:)
Leaf-eating Carnivore
02/20/2010 00:08 AM
A very recent stdy showed that lab mice given enough BPA to bring their tissue levels up to the loads commonly found in the general human population developed insulin resistance. In light of how many people are currently exhibiting signs of disturbances in their insulin pathways, I have to wonder how much of this epidemic is due to the effect of BPA, as well as the chronic overloads of dietary carbs. ???
Unfortunately, I can't find sardines that aren't in a can.
denny
01/21/2010 07:00 AM
Pisgah Works, Asheville, NC offers a double-walled, vacuum sealed, stainless steel bottle. Keeps hot or cold for hours. I'm a student on the go and was really impressed how well it works. I now have 2. They have a facebook special you can contact about thru fb. They fit in bottle cage on bike and so far, all cupholders in autos I've tried.
Kim
01/11/2010 19:16 PM
I just bought a 2 pack of Gaiam water bottles... aluminum kind.... now I dont want to use them and Target wont let me return them. All bad. I dont know what to use anymore!!!!Enter your comments here
Jane Kurzeja
12/22/2009 12:18 PM
what about stainless steel
Dannelle
10/31/2009 15:56 PM
Tupperware has had BPA free children's items and more for over 60 years -- our water bottles are some of our #1 sellers, come in 2 different sizes AND have a secret compartment to hold things like keys when you are at the gym... You can see them yourself at www.buycooltw.com
shj
10/13/2009 16:20 PM
Join class action against Gaiam over BPA http://chimicles.com/case/gaiam-water-bottles
shj
10/13/2009 16:18 PM
Join class action against Gaiam over BPA http://chimicles.com/case/gaiam-water-bottles
justin
10/11/2009 09:24 AM
gourds are an excellent water carrier, and have been used for thousands of years by cultures all across the world. they don't shatter like glass and are biodegradable. better than recyclable!
you can get them online or grow them yourself.
MelissaH
10/09/2009 11:39 AM
I work for a drug rehab and I like to carry a reusable water bottle as well. Every time I find one that I like something weird like this happens. It seems there's always a catch somewhere along the way.
goraxthegreat
10/09/2009 07:00 AM
I normally use a large glass when I'm on campus or in the office. No BPAs there! (And it doesn't make my water taste like plastic or metal.)
Yeah, I realize that BPA is only leached at high temperatures, and that's a problem for me because I usually drink hot water in the winter.
Victorseo
10/08/2009 12:54 PM
I know, because I am one. We were exposed to all kinds of unregulated chemicals and contaminants and we survived - of course 1 in 3 of us is dealing with some kind of cancer and other diseases that did not exists before we polluted everything...and, of course, we have added to all that pollution pretty significantly in the last 50 years...so maybe a little extra caution and prevention will spare future generations from all the medical maladies we suffer from... you wouldn't put chlorine in your.... More
amyn
10/08/2009 11:06 AM
great article i know that when i head to work at narconon i will now be using stainless steel instead.
Mr. Dave
10/08/2009 05:07 AM
Did I say 12 parts per million? I meant 12 parts per Trillion. If the rivers and streams are good enough for fish, they're good enough for me. Bear Grylls says you should drink your pee.
Mr. Dave
10/08/2009 05:00 AM
I hate the way the BPA tastes, so nasty. Anything over 12 parts per million and I can't drink, no thank you. I'd rather drink from a creek or stream while I'm hiking than use one of these bottles.
This
10/08/2009 02:26 AM
**** website
Toivo Suomomaki
10/07/2009 23:24 PM
But, doesn't aluminum cookware leach oxides that give you Alzheimers?
Guest
10/07/2009 19:21 PM
The CamelBak Better Bottle, Klean Kanteen and the CamelBak Podium all have good reviews and are BPA free.
bob
10/07/2009 19:06 PM
Clean Canteen for the win! I own 4 or 5 of them, don't trust anything but 100% stainless.
Mrs Green
10/07/2009 19:05 PM
I can't make, grow, or produce anything or in any way provide for myself. I am totally reliant on others to make the products and food that I consume. I read somewhere that there are these molecule thingies in the stuff they make for me AND I DEMAND THAT THEY TAKE THEM OUT WHATEVER THEY ARE!!!!
jsavedge
10/07/2009 18:28 PM
Thanks so much for your comments everyone. To address the comment about hot liquids, it's important to remember that these bottles occasionally wind up in dishwashers or in hot cars where they reach pretty high temps. This can cause the lining to break down and leach BPA.
David
10/07/2009 18:12 PM
Plus, you can boil water in it in the microwave for complete sterilization and disinfection (but careful, it'll be really hot when you take it out!). I just reuse my Voss water bottles and they've been lasting me more than a year!
a
10/07/2009 18:12 PM
If i wash the bottle in hot water do i have to wait until it cools to fill it with drinking water?
Jim Jones
10/07/2009 18:07 PM
I always went with stainless steel to avoid issues....
Jim http://www.TextMatch.me -- Love on the go.
Shaun
10/07/2009 18:03 PM
Is it seriously so unreasonable to want to have the ability to clean your water bottle in the dishwasher once in a while? Why do these products have to be constructed in a way that makes this inadvisable?
Jonathan
10/07/2009 17:50 PM
I hate to point out the obvious, but BPA is only leeched into your water at very hot temperatures, i.e. 176 degrees. While it's certainly a concern and you should be aware of what you're buying, anyone carrying around an extremely hot liquid like that in a stainless steel Sigg bottle is only asking for trouble. If you use it for cold water, even the most unsafe BPA plastic bottle from China will not leech.
Cindy
10/07/2009 20:56 PM
Yes, but many ppl [like me] leave their water bottles in places like the car and we all know it gets searing hot inside the car esp. during the summer. Bottom line, WE do not like BPA.
Sharon
10/07/2009 17:50 PM
If these bottles are used to store drinking water at room temperature, there is no BPA. If you're worried about BPA, cut out all canned goods, since they are by necessity processed at high temperatures to sterilize the contents. Just because it's possible to cause the linings to leach BPA under extreme conditions, doesn't mean that the bottle is unsafe, anymore than you should stop eating apples due to the minuscule amount of cyanide contained in the seeds, just because it's possible to get the.... More
Nich from San Diego
10/07/2009 17:47 PM
If you read the actual lab reports on the Sigg bottles, it's only their older-style lined aluminum bottles (pre-2008) that leach any amout of BPA... and it's less than 2ppb, not even enough to meet the minimum threshold for purposes of the tests they ran. you'll easily be exposed to 2ppb BPA from any number of other sources you can't avoid, so why be paranoid about the water bottle? Sure, aluminum is a big step forward from plastics. Take it. But if you're really concerned about exposure to.... More
Danika Carter
10/08/2009 00:47 AM
We all know that it's the older Sigg bottles. We've been following the stories. The outrage is more from their manipulation in marketing their bottles, implying they were BPA-free, then lying for over a year once they "discovered" the BPA.
As for danger levels, new reports are saying that there are dangers from exposure far below what the Sigg levels are. And, as science advances tomorrow's science will likely show that the levels at which Sigg bottles...and therefore Gaiam, too, leach.... More
John davis
10/07/2009 17:38 PM
OMG those bottles are SO cool. I have one on my bike and one in meh car!
RT
www.anon-web.int.tc EN
Avocadoinparadise
10/07/2009 16:32 PM
Use a glass bottle! There is a wide variety out there & you know that is safe. The oldest remedy is best. :)
beninabox
11/01/2009 15:37 PM
Glass is ideal but not for hiking or any activity where you could drop it.
Jeremiah McNichols
10/07/2009 14:15 PM
Thanks for helping spread the word about this! For more information your readers can check out our breaking story on the Gaiam admission here: http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/gaiam-admits-aluminum-bottles-leach-bp...
Matt
10/07/2009 13:58 PM
WTF!? I have been routinely heating my water bottle at 194 degrees for three days straight then drinking the water and I thought I was safe from BPA.
Mick
10/08/2009 07:24 AM
My friend died from drinking water out of his bottle that he heated to 194 degrees for three days which he indeed thought to be BPA free.
Kirsten@Nexyoo
10/07/2009 13:32 PM
It's really unfortunate that trusted companies would make claims that are false. What happened? Did their manufacturer lie to them? Did they just not do enough research?
I. Cirillo
10/07/2009 12:46 PM
I have used a Klean Canteen for years, and was not aware that Sigg bottles were lined with BPA-releasing resins. I only found this out recently, of course, right after buying my baby girl a cute one. I guess stainless steel is the only way to go at this time. I have been a fan of Gaiam, but this really questions thier credibility. If you are going to make claims, please do the research!
Danika Carter
10/07/2009 12:27 PM
I asked Gaiam via twitter when the whole Sigg thing started about their lining...who made it, what it was made of, if it was BPA-free. When they told me that their bottles were lined with epoxy resin I told them that's exactly what Sigg used, and have been proven to have BPA. I also remember Sigg saying that even when their bottles leach, the leach less than any other bottle, so I knew Gaiam must leach...and leach more. Gaiam claimed not to know that and the Gaiam tweeter spouted stuff about.... More
John Muir
10/09/2009 13:09 PM
Gaiam the world’s leading supplier of yoga inspired products, also continues to manufacture “PVC” yoga mats representing MILLIONS of “PVC” mat sales over the last decade including PVC yoga mats to kids (YogaKids Mats) …… Fashionably green? No, much worse……. ethically compromised and corrupt. Gaiam consciously strategically unapologetically sells PVC yoga mats because of the substantial profits it derives from the aggregate sales of mats. Consumers should be very suspicious of.... More
Jeremiah
10/07/2009 18:09 PM
Gaiam added the information to their site after we reported that they were likely to contain BPA (in the post linked to in Jenn's post above).
We have been working on this story for over a month, insisting that they admit that their bottles contain BPA and being told they had nothing to say yet. We discovered the new product information on their site last night and posted about it this morning, prompting Jenn's article today.
It certainly did appear to be written on the wall.... More
Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama
10/07/2009 12:11 PM
I've always said that aluminum MUST BE lined, and prior to 2008, that lining was virtually always BPA containing epoxy resin, except for Eden Foods non-tomato products. Gotta use stainless for re-usable.
