Keeping Your Water Intake Healthy – Without Using Potentially Hazardous Plastic Bottles

I have mentioned often enough the dangers of plastics, particularly water bottles and Bisphenol A. It is a common conflict that faces us in that we want to carry water around to keep our fluid intake up, but we don’t want to resort to getting in containers that can be harmful to health. Lo and behold, SIGG has come up with a solution and it is a healthy, practical and – though I know you don’t really care about this – a stylish and fashionable one too with their reusable and 100% recyclable aluminum water bottles.

Worldwide, over 60 billion tons of plastic waste is produced every year and plastic is particularly damaging because it is not biodegradable and plastic particles eventually become part of the food chain – as they have for example in our oceans. In some parts of the sea, there is five times more plastic than plankton. So avoiding plastic water bottles helps our planet, but it not just the health of the ocean that is affected.

So what is the risk to you? Well, plastic polycarbonate bottles releases the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). 90% of US government studies found harmful health effects on children and it has impact on both male and female sexuality and reproduction. Basically, BPA acts as a xenoestrogen, so it mimics the effect of natural oestrogen, but is foreign to the body.

High levels of xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer, birth defects and miscarriages, disruption of beta cell function in the pancreas, which creates a pre-diabetes type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance.

The dangers of plastic water bottles also include producing another xenoestrogen called phthalates which leach into the water and this is increased if the bottle is exposed to heat – such as being in the sun or in the car. Also if you are using the same bottle over and over and refilling it then you will probably have noticed the fine line scratches that occur with frequent use. These increase the surface area exposed to the liquid inside and release more of the xenoestrogens into the water so it is time to ditch the plastic and go for a healthier alternative.

One stylish one is made by SIGG, a company founded in Switzerland over 100 years ago and that I have been fully converted to using because it is beautifully and seamlessly shaped from a single piece of pure aluminium, one of the most environmental friendly packaging materials that is easily be recycled and loses none of its high qualities when reused, and shallow that I am, it looks great.

SIGG bottles have plenty of high profile users such as stars like Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher and for the artistically minded they launch a new design collection of SIGG bottles, every year. They are certainly beautiful, in fact two designs are on permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and include 19 designs to choose from, including one by Vivienne Westwood for the fashionistas among you and the intriguingly named Wuthering Polka – never knew Heathcliff was a dancer, did you?

You can buy direct from the website at www.sigg.com