So… this is old news, but I’ve had this one in the queue for a while. It’s regarding Nalgene bottles and the fact that it has been recently disclosed that and ingredient in some of the plastics used in the bottles, Bisphenol A, is particularly harmful to one’s health. Retailers everywhere were and are jumping on the bandwagon to remove all such products off the shelves.

Apparently, even small doses of this chemical can increase prostate, breast and ovarian cancer cell growth. There’s evidence linking it to infertility problems. It behaves as some sort of synthetic estrogen that can alter the way normal estrogen interacts with developing nerve cells important for brain development and normal functions of the mature brain. I think my risk for ovarian cancer remains pretty low, but the other stuff really scares me.

Curious, I wondered if the bottle I was using at my desk was a potential culprit that could be leading to my premature demise and made a stark discovery. This bottle was indeed one which could potentially contain this dreaded chemical. My first clue, when I went to a CBC.ca article describing the situation, was that my water bottle looked exactly like the bottles they show in the picture attached to the story! Another clue, as indicated in the article, is the presence of the number “7″ in the recycle symbol located on the bottle.

They indicated that if you were unsure if your bottle contained the questionable chemical, then you should contact the manufacturer. Upon close inspection of my bottle, the only clue indicating the manufacturer’s identity was a “Made In China” stamp. I called China and left a message. I expect they’ll get back to me soon. Listen up folks, if you haven’t already done so… If you are unsure if your bottle contains the questionable chemical: throw…the…bottle…away! I threw out my son’s favourite water bottle and he fished it out of the garbage can. Kids are immortal, or so they think. I retrieved his bottle again, told him that I scooped dog poop into it (I didn’t really), and then threw it out again. This time it stayed in the garbage.