It’s time! Line up your reusable plastic water bottles and please (pretty please) STOP using them.
I’ve been secretly cringing for years [1]when I see someone drinking from a brightly colored, BPA-free reusable plastic water bottle. Reusable plastic water bottles are a dime a dozen at my gym, sit alongside yoga mats in my yoga studio and crowd the classroom in my son’s karate class. They are everywhere. And I get it. Plastic water bottles are easier to transport than glass or even stainless steel. They generally don’t dent or break and drinking from them is a breeze. Placing those conveniences aside, plastic water bottles come with a list of possible health hazards and the list isn’t pretty.
Removing BPA from plastics was a good start, but it’s not enough
A few years ago we learned that BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical [2] that’s been linked in lab studies to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Now we’re discovering that “BPA-free” doesn’t mean it’s safe [1]“. Once BPA was found to be toxic, retailers and brands began replacing it with substitutes [3] that could be just as dangerous. Many manufacturers have replaced BPA with something called fluorene-9-bisphenol, or BHPF. In a recent [4]study, it was found that BHPF has the potential to cause fertility problems.
When you buy a plastic water bottle it doesn’t come with a list of “ingredients” so it’s virtually impossible to know what they’re made from.
Time to ditch the plastic
The information is starting to stack up against plastic reusable water bottles. Even those companies that have phased out BPA could still be using a chemical that has almost the same negative health impact on our bodies-hormone disruption. As the evidence continues to mount showing that plastic water bottles could be dangerous why not be proactive and make the switch to stainless steel or glass water bottles?
A few of my favorite non-plastic reusable water bottles
I have a few favorite reusable water bottles to share. Take a peek HERE [5].
There’s another favorite reusable water bottle to add to the list. Klean Kanteen let me do a test run with their new insulated (cold drinks only) Reflect reusable water bottle [6]
Do you avoid reusable plastic water bottles? How about BPA free products?
P.S. If you liked this post you might enjoy our FREE Groovy Green Livin Newsletter [7]. Receive new posts and special opportunities delivered right to your inbox! Sign up HERE [7].