Many of us know that the number one way to protect our environment is to recycle, and the best way to protect our health is to control what enters our bodies.

Simple enough, right?

Maybe not. According to a study published by the Clean Air Council (http://www.cleanair.org/), Americans dispose of 2.5 million water bottles each hour. Since the average disposable plastic bottle takes thousands of years to decompose, many environmentally aware consumers have turned to reusable bottles in an effort to shrink our landfills.

These bottles save space in local landfills and help encourage proper hydration since consumers can monitor their daily water consumption. However, a debate has begun to brew over these containers- not because of the safety of what goes into the bottle but the bottle itself.

Polycarbonate plastic (PC) is the material which most reusable water bottles are made of. This type of material is popular because of its adaptability to hot and cold, strong composition, and resistance to odor retention. The health concerns rise from the presence of a hormone-disrupting chemical in the plastic, known as bisphenol-A (BPA).

Many tests have been conducted to determine the safety of these bottles. A study published by Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) in 2003 states that the initial amount of BPA in a new bottle decreases dramatically after a short period of use. Unfortunately, the study found that with continuous washings the BPA released increased significantly over time. The EHP concluded that, "the increased migration levels may be due to polymer degradation."

In order to determine if your bottle falls into this category, simply look for the recycling symbol, which is stamped on the bottom of the container. If it is marked with a "7", the bottle contains polycarbonate plastic properties.

Single-use water bottles are also suspected to hold a high level of probable carcinogens, due to the use of polyethylene terephthatlate (PET), which gives these bottles their pliability. This type of plastic has been proven to expunge DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate) after repeated uses, and can harbor bacteria in their crevices.

On October 29^th, 2008, the FDA backpedaled on previous claims that they had made about the safety about these bottles. They admitted to finding that certain topics were "not well explored" and concluded that there might be substantial linkage between BPA can and negative changes in neurobehavior and hormone levels, as well as the development of cancer.

Many consumer advocacy groups claim that these bottles are safe, but neighbor to the north, Canada, recently became the first country to boycott the use of BPA in consumer goods.

If you find yourself reaching for a soda in a frenzied attempt to avoid these bottles, you can protect your health and the environment by using reusable bottles made of glass, stainless steel, or aluminum.