Information and Resources

Nalgene Ditching Bisphenol A

April 18, 2008 -- Reusable water bottle maker Nalgene today announced that it will phase out production of its consumer bottles that contain bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic, which is used to make products including some water bottles and baby bottles, and epoxy resins, which are used to line metal products such as canned foods.

In a draft report, government scientists note "some concern" about bisphenol A's possible effects on health, based on lab tests in rodents. But that report isn't final, and the scientists aren't calling bisphenol A unsafe.

The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, says the potential human exposure to bisphenol A is "extremely small" and that bisphenol A poses no known risks to human health.

Nalgene cites consumer demand as the reason for its decision to shelve bisphenol A. It will take several months for Nalgene to phase out its "Outdoor" line of polycarbonate containers that include bisphenol A. Other Nalgene consumer products don't contain bisphenol A.

"With 10 different product lines in several different materials, we have the largest bottle offering on the market today. By eliminating containers containing BPA [bisphenol A] from our consumer product mix, our customers can have confidence that their needs are being met," Steven Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business, says in a company news release.