Sunday, December 30, 2007
Problems with Nalgene?
As I mentioned in a 10/31/07 review, I've been a Nalgene fan. Now I'm wondering if that entry might not have been an inadvertent Halloween trick. According to the Associated Press, there are some concerns that the chemical composition, BPA, can leech out. Apparently there is no doubt that BPA can mimic hormones; the question is whether the amount that can come off the bottles - or the food containers, I'd have to guess - could cause problems. According to the story, some chains have already dumped BPA-based products, including Nalgene bottles, and there are supposed to be some alternatives. Also, not all Nalgene products are made of BPA. Those on the fence might want to read this:
Citing multiple studies in the United States, Europe and Japan, the chemicals industry maintains that polycarbonate bottles contain little BPA and leach traces considered too low to harm humans.I certainly don't know one way or the other whether the products could cause problems, but my general approach to such things is not to take unnecessary chances.
But critics point to an influx of animal studies linking low doses to a wide variety of ailments — from breast and prostate cancer, obesity and hyperactivity, to miscarriages and other reproductive failures.
An expert panel of 38 academic and government researchers who attended a National Institutes of Health-sponsored conference said in a study in August that "the potential for BPA to impact human health is a concern, and more research is clearly needed."
Fred vom Saal, a professor of biology at the University of Missouri and one of the study's chief authors said the panel reviewed 700 published articles on BPA, practically all published in the last 10 years. Yet U.S. health and environmental regulators "are pretending they're still in the dark," he said.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Review: Nalgene Food Containers
UPDATE: I'm leaving the review below as is, but I came across information suggesting that the plastic Nalgene is made of could cause health problems. Here's a link to the post.
For years, I've been a fan of Nalgene water bottles for hiking. Not only can you depend on the screw-tops of the tough containers staying tight and not leaking in your backpack, but aromas and off-putting flavors from the hard plastic don't leach into the liquid. A quick look on the company's web site shows that it's been in the lab container business for years, and it would follow that having non-reactive containers would be mandatory.
So I was delighted to hear from the company's PR reps that it now has food storage containers. I wouldn't be surprised if they developed out of camping use, and that's fine. I put some water in one, screwed down the top, and kept turning it upside - all stayed dry. The products aren't cheap. For example, a hard plastic 16 ounce jar with screw top will set you back at least $5.50, and a quart container is over $8. However, my experience suggests that the products will last a good long time, and, if need be, you can get replacement caps. I expect these products to get heavy use in our kitchen.
We also got some of the company's tumblers, which have an outer sleeve and inner container. Separating them the first time is pretty hard, and we were sure we were cracking the tumblers, but we weren't. You can use the inner and outer parts as two cups, invert one onto the other for a shaker, or leave them nested to have an insulated cold cup. Unfortunately, the tumblers don't stack well at all, and so storing these is going to be challenging - a pity, as it's a flaw in an otherwise interesting design for home use.
Also, there were two water bottles. One had a Filter For Good label co-branded with Brita. The idea is to encourage the use of filtered water in reusable containers rather than buying bottled water, but there's no filter included, so you might as well buy a filter and any old water bottle. The OTG bottle is pretty cool - there's a built-in sipping cap that closes off to keep from dripping and the shape is appealing and easy to hold.
Furthermore, you can purchase all products at the company's web site with no shipping charges, which is nice for a change in online shopping.
For years, I've been a fan of Nalgene water bottles for hiking. Not only can you depend on the screw-tops of the tough containers staying tight and not leaking in your backpack, but aromas and off-putting flavors from the hard plastic don't leach into the liquid. A quick look on the company's web site shows that it's been in the lab container business for years, and it would follow that having non-reactive containers would be mandatory.
So I was delighted to hear from the company's PR reps that it now has food storage containers. I wouldn't be surprised if they developed out of camping use, and that's fine. I put some water in one, screwed down the top, and kept turning it upside - all stayed dry. The products aren't cheap. For example, a hard plastic 16 ounce jar with screw top will set you back at least $5.50, and a quart container is over $8. However, my experience suggests that the products will last a good long time, and, if need be, you can get replacement caps. I expect these products to get heavy use in our kitchen.
We also got some of the company's tumblers, which have an outer sleeve and inner container. Separating them the first time is pretty hard, and we were sure we were cracking the tumblers, but we weren't. You can use the inner and outer parts as two cups, invert one onto the other for a shaker, or leave them nested to have an insulated cold cup. Unfortunately, the tumblers don't stack well at all, and so storing these is going to be challenging - a pity, as it's a flaw in an otherwise interesting design for home use.
Also, there were two water bottles. One had a Filter For Good label co-branded with Brita. The idea is to encourage the use of filtered water in reusable containers rather than buying bottled water, but there's no filter included, so you might as well buy a filter and any old water bottle. The OTG bottle is pretty cool - there's a built-in sipping cap that closes off to keep from dripping and the shape is appealing and easy to hold.
Furthermore, you can purchase all products at the company's web site with no shipping charges, which is nice for a change in online shopping.
