Friday, December 21, 2007

the scoop on plastics, including your Brita pitcher

For those of you interested in avoiding certain plastics, especially those containing Bisphenol-A (hormone disruptor found in certain plastics, including polycarbonate water bottles such as Nalgene as well as many brands of baby bottles), I've come across some alternatives which you may find helpful.

I've already posted about my glass baby bottles, and I recently bought a Sigg water bottle to replace my once-trusted Nalgene. I've ordered a Klean Kanteen sippy cup for Phillip (yes, I am fully aware of how horrible 'k's are when used to replace 'c's, especially when the 'c's are just as matchy and I almost didn't buy the bottle for that reason. I can't stand Kozy Shack, Krispy Kreme, etc. I completely and wholeheartedly support Bella Dia's post here.) Moving along... I started to wonder what type of plastic my Brita water pitcher is made of, and couldn't find any markings on the pitcher itself. I looked online and couldn't find an answer, either. So I sent them an e-mail and they promptly responded with the following good news:

"Dear Mrs. Graham,

Thank you for contacting us about Brita Pour Through System - Slim Pitcher . We always appreciate hearing from our consumers.

The pitcher lids and filter housing are made from Polypropylene plastic. The reservoirs and pitchers are both made either from NAS (a Styrene based plastic) or SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile). The soft-touch handles are made from an elastomer called Santoprene (not to be confused with Neoprene or Latex). The lids for the chrome pitcher only are made from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). All were tested by NSF International for safety and wetted contact. There is no bisphenol a in the pitchers.

Again, thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely, Candy Thoma, Consumer Response Representative Consumer Services"

I also found this article, which includes a little printable reminder chart of which plastics are better left alone. Merry BPA-free Christmas!

7 comments:

Amy said...

Thanks for sharing that about the Britas. I had been wondering about mine recently. Glad to hear it's okay. We bought KK's to replace our Nalgene's too...and I agree about the "K" thing:P

Anonymous said...

Hi Sherrie,

I hope you and your family are enjoying the holidays!

Thanks for the useful info from Brita. I was looking at replacing my Nalgene water bottles and was debating between Klean Kanteen and SIGG. How do you like your Sigg bottle? Is it easy to clean?

Kristal

Anonymous said...

Well according to the Mother Jones chart, it looks like Styrene in plastic is to be avoided because it can act as a neurotoxin. I would say that we should be replacing our Brita systems. I am now thinking about going to a tap based filter system

Sherrie said...

Thanks for the comments!

Kristal, the Sigg is pretty easy to clean (I've only used it for water). I just leave it to dry upside down, and it's great so far. The thing I like best is how light it is! It weighs almost nothing, and fits in the car cupholder, which is a must for when I'm back at work.

Thanks, anonymous, for pointing that out... perhaps the tap based system is a better alternative.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that... I had been wondering about the Brita pitchers for a couple of weeks now.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sherrie
It is so great to read more about Brita safety as really it is next to impossible to find any concrete information on what their pitchers are made of or not made of.
However I have been doing a lot of research on alternative bottles to plastics (have totally stopped using all #1's and #7's) and looked thoroughly into both Kleen Kanteen and Sigg and neither to tell you the truth seem to be better than just a plain glass bottle. This is not too practical for some and really hard of course if you have kids, so the Kleen Kanteen seems to be safer than the Sigg in that Sigg has a "secret" inner liner and no one is privy to what it is made of as it is their trade secret. Plus it is aluminum based that is what makes it so light and if the liner were to be damaged that means exposure to aluminum. Does not make for a very reassuring product if you ask me. Not sure if you already knew this, but hope it helps in the search for a safer and practical product :)

Sherrie said...

Thanks for the comment! My husband needed a new water bottle, and he chose the Klean Kanteen, partially because of your comment! The Sigg lining is an epoxy, and unless it's damaged, I'll keep using mine. Unfortunately, the new KK leaks because of a manufacturing defect, so hopefully we'll be able to get a new one without any trouble. Anyway, thanks again for visiting and commenting! Sorry to be slow in getting back to you. :)