Anchorage Daily News

Fishing buddies Jeff Bush and Paul Womack were browsing the shelves Monday at REI when Bush picked up one of the ubiquitous Nalgene water bottles that occupy the desks, cars or backpacks of just about every Alaskan.

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"Is this gonna kill me?" Bush asked.

Good question.

Bisphenol A or BPA -- the chemical used in a variety of hard-plastic water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups and food containers -- made big news last week.

A report from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences warned that the chemical can leach into food and liquids and "may alter human development."

Meanwhile, the Canadian government proposed a ban on baby bottles made with BPA because of the chemical's potential toxicity.

In Anchorage, REI over the weekend stripped its shelves of water bottles containing BPA and replaced them with bottles made with a BPA-free material called Tritan. Small signs posted above racks filled with Nalgene and Camelbak bottles say REI will no longer sell bottles with BPA.

Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart stores in Anchorage still have baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA on their shelves. According to news reports, Wal-Marts in Canada will get rid of those bottles and replace them with BPA-free products soon, while stores in this country will begin to phase them out at the end of the year. Fred Meyer didn't respond to inquiries about its plans for products with BPA.

Around the country, a number of stores and manufacturers -- including retailer Toys R Us, baby-bottle giant Playtex and water-bottle giant Nalgene -- have responded to growing consumer concerns by saying they will phase out bottles containing BPA.

RISKY BUSINESS?

Like many consumers, Bush and Womack saw last week's new reports.

They just aren't sure how serious the risks are and whether they should toss the Nalgene bottles they've used for years.

Womack didn't seem worried about a little toxin in his system.

"I smoke, so it's not an issue," he said.

So far, none of the studies -- most done on laboratory animals -- put BPA next to cigarettes on the list of things that can kill you.

But some studies link the chemical to abnormal brain development and behavior in fetuses, infants and children, and to an increased risk of cancer later in life.

If you've had a hard-plastic bottle or cup for very long, chances are it contains BPA. Products made from Tritan are relatively new.

An REI spokeswoman said people who purchased bottles at their stores can return them if they are worried.

Megan Behrbaum said REI told store managers Friday to clear their shelves of bottles with BPA. Most already had a supply of the BPA-free Tritan bottles, she said.

"We made this decision because we felt there was confusion in the marketplace," Behrbaum said. "We are not in position to interpret the (scientific studies) that are out there."

BACK TO GLASS?

Janell Kurchinski works at Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking, which has a barrel filled with colorful, durable Nalgene bottles of various sizes, all priced at $8.75. Next to it is a rack of aluminum Sigg water bottles, which contain no BPA and cost $19.99 or more, depending on size.

"I'll definitely be buying some metal ones," Kurchinski said.

Her concern isn't for herself as much as it's for her daughter, 17-month-old Katie.

"I've drunk out of Nalgenes for years, so the damage is done for me," Kurchinski said.

But she wants to protect Katie every way she can.

"I've gotten rid of all of her plastic dishes, but for drinking, there's not a lot of options out there," she said as Katie sucked on the straw of a plastic sippy cup.

Glass bottles are gaining favor among some new parents and have no known risks -- until the newborn becomes a toddler. Toddlers often drop or throw things, so glass bottles and cups in the hands of someone Katie's age can create a whole different kind of health hazard, Kurchinski said.

Some of Kurchinski's co-workers are torn between keeping the Nalgene or Camelbak bottles they love or switching to Siggs or Klean, another aluminum bottle with no BPA.

Janna Widness said the aluminum bottles have two strikes against them: They dent and they aren't dishwasher safe. If Siggs had wide mouths, she said, they'd be easier to clean and she'd be more inclined to use them.

BY THE NUMBERS

If there's confusion about what people should do, it's partly because not all scientists agree that BPA can be dangerous to humans. Another reason: Unless a product is marked BPA-free, it can be hard to know if it contains BPA.

The bottoms of most plastic bottles are imprinted with a number inside a small recycling triangle. Any product with BPA carries the number 7, but not all products with the number 7 have BPA.

"Number 7 is the catch-all for 'other plastics' category," Behrbaum said. "Are all number 7s bad? No, not at all."

If in doubt, read the label, ask someone at the store or look online. Rubbermaid's Web site includes pictures of food containers with BPA as well as those without it.

Widness said she's heard a number of people wonder about the health risks of their favorite water bottles, but so far AMH hasn't taken anything off the shelves.

"If people want to buy them, they can," co-worker Ben Arians said. "If they don't want to, they don't have to."

Find Beth Bragg online at adn.com/contact/bbragg or call 257-4309.