Your SIGG water bottle might have BPA...

I was proudly swigging water from my green SIGG aluminum bottle the other day at work, when my coworker came in to burst my bubble.

Ever since the BPA scare over the past few years (see this blog post from 2007 and this blog post from 2008), the public has been demanding that companies make resusable water bottles without liners that contain BPA. Thus, after I threw out my old Nalgene bottle last year, I invested in the aluminum SIGG bottle...

Of course, since then, Nalgene has come out with BPA-free products, so many folks have gone back to Nalgene (after entire shelves in stores were cleared of the old bottles). What I didn't realize (and what my coworker told me yesterday), is that even the SIGG bottles manufactured before 2008 have trace amounts of BPA in them. Just think--all this time I've been under a false impression that my beloved water bottle was safe from these nasty little toxins.

After doing some research, I found out a few interesting things:

• According to a public letter from the SIGG CEO, many tests have ensured that SIGG bottles manufactured before August 2008, while they do have trace amounts of BPA, showed no actual leaching of BPA (which, as far as I can tell, is where the company makes the distinction between their product and other products that both contained and leached BPA). From the letter:

  "SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA."

• Bottles manufactured since August 2008 have SIGG's their new BPA free "EcoCare" liner.
• Through October 31, 2009, consumers who own one of the older-style bottles can mail in (at their own expense) their old bottle for a similar replacement with the new liner. For more info, see their exchange program. Also, check here to see which liner your SIGG bottle has.

SIGG has also released a newer bulletin dated September 1, 2009 to further clear things up. Although I must say that I'm beginning to think I should fore-go all bottles completely and just begin drinking water straight out of the faucet from here on out...