Do you know what lurks in your water bottle?

By Patrick Flajole

Take a look around. You will find reusable water bottles hanging from backpacks and sitting on tables next to students in classrooms all over campus.

Whether they are a product of environmental consciousness or just part of the newest fad is a slightly different story.

"It really depends on where you are," said Lindsey Cromwell, sustainability coordinator for the Environmental Studies Institute.

"My office is in the Environmental Science building. For me, it's more likely that I'll notice when people don't have a reusable water bottle."

In 2006, 115,393,500 liters of bottled water were consumed around the world. This means that each time you fill up your reusable bottle at the tap, that's one fewer bottle joining the 80 percent of used plastic bottles that ultimately end up in landfills.

Manufacturers have recognized the trend and are marketing plenty of options to suit the different styles of water drinkers. Every reusable bottle makes a statement about its owner. Stickers from various organizations, color and wear and tear all contribute to the character of your water bottle.

Unfortunately, depending on your water bottle, you might be ingesting different levels of toxins with your beverage.

Though the effects tend to be trivialized by reusable water bottle manufacturers, some studies report that the leaching of toxins into your water can have negative side effects.

"It's clear that plastics produce poisons, but how much is a safe amount?" asked Sean Watts, an environmental studies professor.. He said, "We're exposed to tons and tons of synthetics every day. In order to get a good idea for how much true impact there is from some chemical on humans, you'd need to track from birth."

Below is information about three types of water bottles and what they say about their owners:

Nalgenes:

Until recently, Nalgenes have been the most popular reusable water bottle.

However, a good deal of controversy has arisen over the safety of Nalgenes. Many worry that the organic compound Bisphenol A (BPA), can act as a toxin that may leach from the walls of a Nalgene bottle into its contents.

Aluminum Bottles:

With the Sigg brand as the industry leader, these bottles have seen a rapid increase in popularity.

If you aren't familiar with Siggs, ask members of the Cyphi RLC, who received free bottles if they chose to agree to a "no plastic bottles" policy.

Many former Nalgene users have made the switch to aluminum bottles in hopes of avoiding BPA.

But perhaps it could be that the relatively recent popularity of Siggs has caused a delay in sufficient research to determine their safety.

Disposable Plastic Bottles:

There are times when the easiest choice seems to be just trashing a plastic bottle.

However, Cromwell said, "Bottled water can be more dangerous for you than using a reusable container as far the chemicals that leach out."

Disposable plastic bottles also have detrimental environmental impacts. The volume of disposable plastic bottles that end up in landfills really adds up.

Cromwell and Watts agreed that reusable bottles are a good thing. Watts is optimistic about seeing many reusable bottles on campus, but he warned, "Fads are dangerous when they produce unthinking followers."

Contact Patrick Flajole at (408) 551-1918 or pflajole@scu.edu.

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