Water Bottle Safety

Reusable water bottles are great for keeping us hydrated during sports activities, at work and school. It’s important to bring them home for a regular cleaning to prevent bacteria growth and the spread of flu virus. It’s equally critical to make sure plastic water bottles do not carry the number 3 or 7 embedded inside the triangle on the bottom. Plastics with a 3 or 7 mean they contain BPA or bisphenol A, a compound used to make plastics. Repeatedly, studies show that BPA is hazardous to our health with positive correlations to obesity, infertility, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, DNA abnormalities and thyroid disorders. The 6 top baby bottle manufacturers stopped using BPA plastics in March 2009. While Connecticut already has a ban in place, Minnesota and Illinois will ban the plastic in any children’s sippy cups and baby bottles by 2010. The Food and Drug Administration has promised to review the safety of BPA in food and beverage containers by the end of November and France may become the first European country to ban BPA’s. Our family had a full drawer of water bottles from races and for back to school hydration. It is now down to 5, with the brightly colored, kid, friendly orange and green one from the major grocery store chain hitting the garbage can, both were number 7’s!