Canadian government labels Nalgene plastic toxic
Six days after the Canadian government officially declared one of the chemical ingredients in clear, hard plastic water bottles like Nalgenes toxic, concern over the subject at CU remains mild.
“I don’t really know much about the subject,” said Brittany Hoefener, a senior environmental studies major. “It’s not affecting my water bottle choice. Besides, what doesn’t cause cancer these days?”
On Friday, Canada’s departments of health and environment made the first move of any government against bisphenol-a, or BPA, according to the The New York Times. The chemical, found in water bottles and baby bottles made of polycarbonate, is an estrogen-like compound that induces long-term structural changes in the brain, according to Veg Family Magazine. Environment California reports that BPA in the plastic bottles leeches into the liquid contents which is a process that increases with use.
Following the Canadian government’s decision, Nalgene made a statement that they will stop using polycarbonate because of popular concern over BPA, according to the New York Times.
For the most part, students were unaware of the decision in Canada and expressed varying degrees of concern over the potential health hazard posed by polycarbonate bottles.
“It’s scary to think that Nalgene has been making these bottles for however many years and haven’t discovered what is in their product,” said Shannon Waugh, a sophomore sociology major. “I feel like there is toxic stuff everywhere though, and this is just the next thing.”
Dylan Rentea, a freshman environmental studies major, said he didn’t see a need to stop using his Nalgene.
“I’m not too worried about it,” Rentea said. “I think I would need more information telling me that it is actually damaging to give up my water bottle.”
Environmental studies faculty and staff were more immersed in the issue.
“We’ve talked about it in my environmental studies classes,” said Jason Neff an associate professor of environmental studies and geology. “I think it’s a big thing with any of the chemicals we use. We don’t know what it means for human health because the effects are long term and chronic.”
Neff said he hasn’t given up all of his plastic water bottles, but recently bought his son a metal canteen.
“If it really matters why take a chance,” Neff said.
Susie Strife, a doctoral candidate in environmental studies, expressed a similar point of view.
“I really go with the precautionary principle,” Strife said. “If it has the potential to disrupt something, then we definitely shouldn’t buy plastic water bottles.”
A solution, Strife said, would be to mandate that products have labels describing the chemicals used to produce them and their environmental impact.
“There are so many things we don’t know about, like this issue,” she said. “I always wondered what makes those bottles hard anyway.”
Contact Campus Press staff writer Emery Cowan at emery.cowan@colorado.edu.
