meansoybean

In 2008, strong doubts were cast upon polycarbonate plastics and whether it was safe enough to be in contact with food. The culprit? Bisphenol A.

“Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which is used in many consumer products, including reusable water bottles and baby bottles. Bisphenol A is also found in epoxy resins, which act as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans.” – Bisphenol A fact sheet, Government of Canada

At that time, many reusable bottle makers came out of the wood work and consumers flocked to the SIGG range, which was supposed to be BPA-free. I couldn’t understand how they could make this claim. From my research, their bottles are made from aluminum, a material that needs an interior coating that’s commonly made from an epoxy. They said they used a water-based epoxy that was safe and that seemed to appease a lot of people. I still had my doubts. Aluminum should have as little contact with food as possible, and the thought of water sitting for any amount of time in extremely close proximity to epoxy was scary — no matter what the claims.

Why would anyone want to take the chance? Now it seems a lot people who trusted SIGG are now regretting it. I’m so glad I chose to go with Kleen Kanteen…

A case for Klean Kanteens
Many months before the Canadian Government started to have a hard look at BPAs, I was in the market for a reusable water bottle. I had been buying “disposable” ones for years, and really wanted to make a conscious effort to change this bad habit. Naturally, I went to my local MEC store, since I had seen many bottle styles in a pleathora of colours. I chose a Nalgene bottle made from Lexan, a brand of polycarbonate resin thermoplastic that contained BPAs.

Now, while there, I did see MEC’s leaflet talking about their stance on polycarbonates and BPAs. In short, they considered it safe and would keep selling these bottles until the government deemed them otherwise. I’m not sure if anyone else had seen these previous to the BPA news, but it was an official MEC leaflet, and they’re a responsible company, so I was reassured that they were sure it was a safe product. In the end, I was pissed that I had invested my hard-earned money into two bottles, at that point. But I’ve now learned from the experience, and always do my own research first.

I immediately looked for an alternative and found Klean Kanteens. It was an 18/8 food grade stainless steel bottle with no interior coating, plus the inside of the cap was made of the same stainless steel so my water wouldn’t come into contact with anything else. It was everything I was looking for and more.

I’ve had my Klean Kanteen now for over a year, and it’s holding up great. I have what is now known as the 532ml (18oz) classic model. While I can clean the inside all right, I also like to sterilize it from time to time by filling it with boiled water, leaving it to sit until cooled. If you’re a natural butter fingers, you’ll want to be careful not to constantly drop your Kanteen… it’s metal, after all, and you’re going to ding it up. With enough dents it’ll start leaking a bit. But it would take a lot, so this is just a warning for the extra clumsy who like big bottles. Big Klean Kanteens = lots of water = heavy when full = dingdingding!

If you can’t find Klean Kanteens near you, check out the Life Without Plastic online store, based out of Wakefield, Quebec. These people have cool plastic alternatives. I’ve purchased 3 sets of their air-tight stainless steel containers already. Everyone at the office always asks about them at lunchtime. Don’t forget to check out their blog too! They just got a cool new thermal food container, and I can’t wait for the stainless steel ice tray…