Reusing Plastic Bottles

Reusing Plastic Bottles

While plastic water and soft drink bottles are sold with the intention of single use, then recycling, they can be safely reused if cleaned and handled properly. The keys are to ensure that the bottle is not damaged, has been thoroughly cleaned before each use, and is filled with clean tap water.

The reuse of bottles has recently been discussed as having possible health risks. There are two main concerns. There is a potential for the presence and growth of bacteria in these bottles, but with proper cleaning and handling, this risk can be minimised. Another health concern sometimes mentioned around the reuse of plastic bottles is that the plastic may breakdown and release `chemicals' into the water. Current research into this topic indicates that these concerns are unfounded.

It is important to note that water or soft drink bottles shouldn't be shared during use - they should be used by one individual only to prevent the spread of germs that can lead to illnesses such as meningococcal disease.
Why are there concerns about reusing plastic bottles?

Refilling water bottles can result in contamination of the water with bacteria, for example from the hands or mouth of the person filling or using it. With time and in warm conditions, bacteria can multiply to harmful levels, but safe handling and proper cleaning can help prevent this from happening.

Recent reports have specifically suggested that a common plasticiser, DEHA, can leach from plastic soft drink bottles into the liquids they hold, particularly with reuse. However, the majority of plastic water and soft drink bottles are made with a substance called PET, and do not contain DEHA.

While current research indicates chemicals are not released into water by reuse, many of these bottles are manufactured to be recycled, not reused. Some plastic bottles can warp when exposed to heat in the cleaning process. It is therefore important to ensure that after the bottle has been washed in hot water and left to air dry that it is intact and has not been damaged.
What should I do if I am reusing a plastic bottle?

* Before filling bottles, wash and dry your hands thoroughly so that you don't contaminated it with bacteria.
* Examine the bottle to ensure that it is not damaged.
* After use, clean bottles and nozzles with hot, soapy water and make sure the inside of the bottle air dries completely before use.
* Use good quality water from a safe source.
* Bottles should be used by one individual only. Don't share bottles- saliva can transfer germs that can lead to illnesses such as meningococcal disease. Make sure they are labelled with the person's name for easy identification.

Our Suggestion:
Looking for an alternative to plastic water bottles? Try the Aluminum Bottles manufactured by Sigg.



Here is some useful info I took from the manufacturers of Sigg Water Bottles: "The liner is a food grade, water-based, resin that is sprayed and baked on to bottle. The formula has not been released, since it is proprietary, but we have been working with them and they have agreed to release it soon.

The liner has undergone extensive tests in Switzerland and Germany. The liner absolutely does not leach Bisphenol-A or other potential toxins. We have conducted our own tests in the US with a California lab, and they confirmed the European findings. So, the best I can do at this time is to assure you that the liner is completely safe, does not leach plastic products, contains no petroleum products, and exceeds all associated FDA requirements for food liners. The additional information will be released soon from Switzerland." -- Ron Peters of SIGG USA

# "bottles made by the manufacturer Sigg, market leader in both Switzerland and Germany, showed no traces of aluminum...the manufacturer Sigg shows that it is possible to avoid residue from synthetic coating. Rolf Kothrade, responsible for aluminium bottles at Sigg, explains that his company changed the entire production process two years ago and now uses a water-based interior coating." -- OKO-TEST July 1997 (Independent German Consumer Test Magazine) To see complete article Click here

# All SIGG bottle caps are made from polypropylene - one of the food safe plastics. This type of plastic will not migrate any insalubrious substances into the bottle's contents.



You can view/shop for them here EarthyBirthyMama.com

I take mine to my Bikram Yoga Class, and it even keeps the water cool. Two thumbs up!

Is your shampoo making you fat?

Over the past decade, the United States has been urgently investigating the effects of low levels of synthetic personal care product chemicals found in our water -- lakes, rivers, oceans. Scientists around the world have now linked these chemicals from personal care products to a growing global health crisis, causing life-threatening and costly metabolic and neurological disorders. These endocrine disorders threaten to bankrupt the US medical system within the next 30 years.

What types of products contain these harmful chemicals? The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reported that they have found synthetic hormone-disrupting chemicals in shampoo, preservatives, hair coloring agents, sunscreens, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. These chemicals are washed into our water every day and, as a result, they never go away -- they are persistent because of daily replenishment via bathing, swimming and urination. Sadly, of the 80,000 plus chemicals used in products, just a tiny fraction were ever fully tested for toxicity, let alone for their hormone interference potential. Currently, toxicity tests required by the government do not evaluate endocrine disrupting effects, so even so-called "tested chemicals" can have unidentified hazardous health effects. You should be aware that the phrases "no known toxicity" or "no known health effects" do not necessarily mean that a substance is harmless.
The EPA is very concerned about the antimicrobial preservatives called parabens (alkyl-p-hydroxybenzoates). Parabens are ubiquitous -- found in cosmetics, skin creams, sunscreen lotions, shampoos -- even pet food. The EPA states that all parabens -- methyl, propyl, butyl -- have been proven to have endocrine-disrupting effects. They are particularly concerned about the hormone-disrupting effects of nonoxynol (nonyl phenol) found in hair colorings, shampoos, and spermicides, and sunscreen chemicals such as benzophenone [oxybenzone] and methoxycinnamate. It is very disturbing to learn that many of these chemicals can be found in personal care products that claim to be "natural" and "organic." We feel that some companies who pretend to be natural and organic are among the worst of the environmental hypocrites.

What is an endocrine disruptor? Endocrine disruptors are chemical substances, primarily man-made synthetics, that interfere with the function of the endocrine system. These synthetics may be derived from petroleum or vegetable sources and are created in environmentally unfriendly industrial processes using toxic catalysts and reagents. These chemicals mimic, block or disrupt the actions of human (and animal) hormones and, unexpectedly, do more damage at low levels of exposure than at high levels. These chemicals can also work in sinister yet subtle ways by disrupting the body's ability to produce adequate quantities of hormones or by interfering with the body's hormonal pathways. One single chemical can affect many parts of the endocrine system. Often minute amounts of several of these environmental hormone chemicals can combine to create effects thousands of times more potent than a single chemical.

The endocrine system regulates every function of the body. It consists of the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, the pancreas, the ovaries and the testes, all linked to the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus is like the mainframe computer of the body, sending signals to the glands that provide the instructions for creating hormones, which are the natural chemical messengers that tell your cells what to do. The various endocrine glands send the messenger chemicals via the bloodstream to different parts of the body where they bind to specific receptors that control all cellular functions. One messenger hormone, estrogen, is secreted by the ovaries and plays a major part in the regulation of menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and fat cell activity.

When you rub body care products on your body or hair dye on your scalp you can absorb or inhale synthetic chemicals that contain endocrine disruptors which may send false signals to your body's endocrine glands. When your glands are confused they cannot function normally and serious health problems result. In addition, when you bathe, whatever chemicals aren't absorbed by your body are washed down the drain into the drinking water supply, where they can cause a cascade of negative environmental problems. These endocrine disruptors are affecting algae and other microscopic life, fish, whales and birds. Humans are exposed when they drink the water and eat the fish contaminated by personal care product chemicals. The government has found sunscreen chemicals in fish and human breast milk.

Endocrine disruptors are stored in a body's fatty tissues and do not get flushed out with water, thus they accumulate over the years. It is now recognized that the dramatic increases of breast cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and thyroid cancer have been linked to exposure to environmental estrogens. In the past twenty-five years in the US, alone, thyroid cancer has increased more than 45%, with more women being affected than men, and has become the number one cancer in children under age twenty, many of whom suffered from fetal endocrine disruption exposures.

How can you protect yourself? Read every ingredient on every personal care product label and be suspicious of every chemical ingredient. Ask yourself if you would eat that ingredient because, when you rub products onto your body, 60% of the product may end up in your body. When your bottle of body lotion is empty, where did all of the product go? The lotion that was absorbed quickly, was absorbed into your body! The rest washes down the drain. Question manufacturers about their synthetic chemical ingredients. Tell your family and friends about the chemicals that are affecting them and their children. Remember true organic products NEVER contain potentially harmful chemical ingredients. True organic products are made from real organic foods

The Real World

Welcome to our Blog: A Green Bug (Blog).
We want to create a space to exchange green ideas, yoga ideas, inform, and entertain.

The Real World: We attended our first trade show last weekend in San Francisco, at the Hyatt Embarcadero: the Yoga Journal Conference. The show was very successful. People loved our products, and we loved seeing them in our colorful clothes. In addition, practicing yoga for a whole weekend was a blessing. Here is our first Real Store, and some of our customers wearing our clothes:

Our Booth at the Yoga Journal Conference

Happy customers trying out GP wear.