September 11, 2000


Are plastic water bottles safe?

I have a one-quart Nalgene water bottle (clear type). I recently heard a rumor that the plastic from which the bottles are made is unsafe. The plastic supposedly breaks down and mixes with the water. Is there any truth to this? I use my bottle not only for hiking/backpacking but daily hydration at the office. Thank you,

— Mike Montagne, Austin, Texas

Well, that's a new one. I'll have to rank that with some other old saws: That the iodine in water-treatment tablets is deadly poison (it's not); that you get the best fit on boots by soaking them in water, then walking around in them (it doesn't work); and that aluminum in camp cookware will cause you to go insane (um....nope).

Anyway, I don't think you have anything to worry about here. There is a chemical family, called phthalates, that is used in many plastic products. Phthalates can in fact break down, and are a well-known pollutant, and there apparently have been some recent newspaper articles that mention the hazards posed by these chemicals. But phthalates aren't found in Nalgene bottles. The hard, clear bottles such as yours are made of a polycarbonate. The softer, more plastic-feeling bottles are a high-density polyethylene—no phthalates there either.

So, drink away, Mike. I'm confident you're very safe using a Nalgene bottle.