BPA and POLYCARBONATE WATER BOTTLES
Like virtually every water bottle supplier in the world, we use polycarbonate for our bottle. The reasons are simple: it is lightweight, extraordinarily strong and durable, and absorbs no colors, flavors or odors. And it is totally safe for common liquid storage (water and flavored beverages). It is far more user-friendly than polyethylene (not durable, retains smells) or metal (retains tastes, dangerous to drink from in cold weather).
The Japanese have some of the strictest laws on earth concerning containers used for any food storage. This includes all plastic containers used for liquids – such as our LightCap™ water bottle. Thus it was required by our Japanese distributor, Mont Bell, that we have the LightCaps tested for a wide variety of banned chemicals by an independent lab before we could sell them in Japan. These tests include detecting any traces of the following:
- Cadmium
- Lead
- Diphenylcarbonate
- Amines
- Bisphenol A (BPA)
The BPA test also included testing in the following leaching solutions:
- N-heptane
- 20% ethanol
- water
- 4% acetic acid
In addition, there was a test for evaporation residue:
- in N-heptane (for oils, fats and fatty foods)
- in 20% ethanol (for alcohol liquors)
- in distilled water (for foods whose pH exceeds 5)
- in 4% acetic acid (for foods whose pH is below 5)
The LightCap and bottle passed all the tests. What does this mean to you?
In the past several years there has been concern raised about the possibility of BPA (a chemical present in some forms of polycarbonate – the material commonly used in water bottles) causing health problems. After several years of testing there still is no conclusive scientific evidence that there is any real risk. However the issue of BPA in polycarbonate recently surfaced again when one Canadian outdoor store decided not to sell any polycarbonate water bottles. [This is akin to an auto supply store not selling any car tires because someone may have had a flat tire for some unknown reason.]
Agencies and researchers worldwide have studied the safety of BPA and polycarbonate for over 40 years; including The Environmental Protection Agency and The Food and Drug Administration in the USA, The European Commission Scientific Committee on Food, The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Findings of studies from these agencies indicate that food and beverage containers manufactured from polycarbonate do not pose a health risk to humans. As a result, polycarbonate is used in a wide variety of consumer products including baby bottles, water bottles, dental sealants and the lining of most food & beverage containers.
Furthermore, several scientific panels including the European Union's Scientific Committee on Food, the National Toxicology Program and the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis have concluded that the weight of scientific evidence does not support the hypothesis that low doses of BPA adversely affects human health. None of the large studies conducted have substantiated the claims made by those performing some of the smaller studies frequently cited.
In numerous laboratory tests, the only time that BPA levels rose enough to be of any possible concern was when the container being tested was scrubbed with a very harsh chemical cleaner combined with boiling water. For cleaning the LightCap, this is obviously unnecessary and not recommended.
Based on the results from their independent tests, the LightCap passed all the stringent Japanese food container laws; our bottle showed no signs of any leaching of BPA in the various chemical and water solutions it was subjected to (at various temperatures
We are constantly monitoring all safety concerns that may be applicable to any of our products, and we will immediately take whatever steps necessary to insure that our products are safe, environmentally friendly, and functional as advertised.
