Bottled water and baby bottles: maybe not so good

There's at least one kind of plastic bottle that is NOT so good for you, or the environment, or the baby. It's the one with the little triangle and the number 7 inside it. The chemical that is under suspicion is popularly known as BPA, that's Bisphenol A, a found in hard, clear polycarbonate plastics. That's triangle-7. It leaches into the liquids it holds. It's suspected of causing cancer, changing hormone levels, and other fun stuff.

The Canadian government is considering whether to declare BPA a toxic chemical. Guess that'llpretty much a stop to some plastic baby bottle sales. So check that number of the bottom of the bottle. LOne more label it pays to read before you buy, or imbibe.

Here's a laugh for the more cynical among us: guess what plastic is used in many of those very expensive, glitzy, brand name, sports drink bottles you see being toted around conspicuously by joggers and bike riders in multi-color uniforms? You got it, good old triangle-7. So they pay extra cash for their upscale drinking utensil to exercise and stay healthy while ingesting some good old-fashioned cancer inducers. Next time you pass an expensive sporting goods store walk inside and look for the little trangle-7 on the bottom of the glitzier plastic stuff.

OK, you can read the New York Times article and they have a picture of the plastic bottle made by Nalgene with the BPA in it. Nalgene acknowledges some may not want the BPA as a food additive so they make bottles without it. Buyer's choice.