You’ve seen the news reports and have read the articles – plastic water bottles can be harmful to your health.  Obviously, the best solution is to drink water at home from a freshly washed glass, but there are times we would like to carry water along with us while we’re away from home.  The question becomes, “How do I know which types of water bottles to avoid?”  From the cheap throw away bottles we often purchase by the case to aluminum or stainless steel bottles, making the right choice is important to your health.

The absolute worst type of water bottles are the polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) bottles most commonly found in grocery stores and are used for water, soda, juice, mouthwash, peanut butter, salad dressing, detergent and cleaner containers, etc.  This type of plastic has been proven to leach Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) – or butyl benzyl phthalate (BPA) depending on which is used as the plasticizer or softener – with repeated use.  DEHP and BPA are endocrine disruptors mimicking the female hormone estrogen; have been strongly linked to asthma and allergic symptoms in children; may cause certain types of cancer; linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and body weight.  In Europe, DEHP and BBzP and other dangerous phthalates have been banned from use in plastic toys for children under three since 1999.  Not so elsewhere, including Canada and the United States.

The second most common plastic bottles are most often used by exercise buffs and campers and are made from thermoplastic polymers called polycarbonate.  Water bottles aren’t the only products made out of polycarbonates – CD’s, cell phones, iPods, sunglasses and computer cases are also made of this material.  You may be more familiar with the trademark name of polycarbonate, Lexan.  Thankfully, though, we don’t normally chew on our cell phones or computers because polycarbonates have also been proven to leach butyl benzyl phthalate (BPA).  Even scarier is the fact that most baby bottles are made of polycarbonate that leaches BPA at a higher rate than normal every time milk is heated in them.

A much better option would be an aluminum bottle.  However, many aluminum bottles have liners containing BPA, and aluminum has been linked to certain health risks.  While aluminum has never been proven to cause these health risks, it’s still questionable, so the BPA liners are a greater concern for now.

So, in my opinion, stainless steel water bottles are the ideal way to drink your daily 64 ounces of water on the go because they seem to exhibit the least amount of health concerns out of all the choices.  While I don’t advocate green living 100%, cutting down on waste seems to be a good idea, as well.  GoodLife is a large manufacturer of this kind of water bottle, and you can get them from GoodLife Bottles.  They’re made entirely of stainless steel, which doesn’t leach, is resistant to cracking and keeps your water relatively cold.  An added benefit is that they can be used over and over again without degradation and do not need to be recycled.  And, since more than 40% of bottled water is simply filtered tap water, you can save more than just the health risk – you can save your wallet by not wasting money on something you already have at home.