I picked up a couple of 36 Oz. bottles of Pepsi Yesterday. These look like they will be great water bottles. The Pepsi plastic bottles have a wider mouth cap than coke or the others. Seem to fit well in my Mountainsmith pack bottle holders?

I used to use water and soda bottles because they're so ultralight, but then I did some research and found that they're prone to leech nasty chemicals when you reuse them. I'd spend a few bucks and buy some platypus bottles. They're fairly durable and extremely lightweight. Plus, they roll up when they're empty. I also have a Platypus hydration bladder, which I love.

Thank You, I have considered this . However, Has anyone done a study on plastic bladders and regular water bottles? I am curious as to if they leach chemicals as well? Companys who produce high tech products , most likely wont give this info as they are there for profit.

I did check before purchasing the Platypus bottles and found that they're BPA free. Of course, I suppose there could be other nasty chemicals as well. BPA free is a start, though.

All of the information that I have reviewed states that there are no established risks to re-using pop bottles to carry water. If you know differently, you should provide references rather than anecdote. The study I read found estrogenic compounds in plastic water bottles but also found them to a lesser degree in glass bottles and cardboard containers. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/28/water-bottles-health.html

Are you sure you are not confusing this with the leaching of BPA from some of the Nalgene-type rigid water bottles. These were the subject of considerable controversy a while back? And, that claim of health risk was considerably overblown. Pop bottles are a completely different material. I don't think that either the EPA or the European health organization have found any demonstrable health risks from leached BPA; most of the supposed risks are more implied than factual.

Finally, how do you know that the material used in Platypus bottles is safe?

All I did was google something along the lines of "Safety of reusing plastic soda bottles" and came up with enough information about the possible harmful effects of using them that I decided to make the switch to Platy bottles.

That said, I just re-googled (is that a word) the subject and found some information in favor of the other side.

I guess it's just a decision that each person will have to make individually. Since I already have the platypus bottles at this point, I'll obviously stick with them. I think they're great. And to answer your other question, I can't be sure that they're safe either, but at least they're made with the intention of being used multiple times and are BPA free. It's a step in the right direction, if nothing else.

Pika,

The FDA approves PET bottles to store diet cola for months. I use diet cola as a cleaning solvent because it is acidic.

We are now asked to believe that short term reuse to carry water is a health hazard. This just does not pass the sniff test.

I use the standard Gatoraid bottles. Strong, free, and wide-mouthed.

Yeah, that is pretty much my take on the issue as well. Even the report I cited in my first post on this thread was pretty equivocal on the subject. And, that was having been strained through a "story-oriented" media writer. When I was working as a scientist, I got burned a few times by newsprint and TV "reporters". They mostly don't have the background or training to understand science and are inclined to "dumb down" what they are told until it is uninformative, at best, and often wrong.

I think I'll continue using my 1 liter Schweppes and two liter club soda bottles until I hear something a bit more rigorous on the subject. Especially since they reported getting estrogenic compounds leached from some glass containers. Makes one wonder about the rigor of their methodology.

Sorry I can't find the article, but I remember reading a fairly comprehensive report on the safety of various plastics that said that soda bottles do not have leaching concerns for reues unless frozen. Concerns for cleanliness, yes, but not leaching.

Sorry couldnt post sooner, been at work. I confir as well, common sense says, Any plastic bottle sutable to store a acidic beverage for months at a time, hence should be ok for reuse with water. Thank you to all for the feedback!

I too question their tests but believe that short term testing doesn't always reveal long term threats. Asbestos comes to mind, once thought to be harmless and "inert" has proven otherwise (although I don't feel the full risk they are hyping it up to be) it none the less does have a potential health risk. Cigarettes are another one; once thought to be risk free, have proven otherwise. Plastic bottles could very well pose a long term health risk we're unaware of.

As for the test, I'm skeptical. From my fairly limited knowledge of science and chemistry, finding estrogenic compounds in a glass vessel, especially borosilicate glass makes me wonder how accurate that experiment was.

For now, I'll continue to use my PET and HDPE bottles, that is until I start see the effects of estrogenic compounds.

My daughter will now use only metal bottles. What gets me is that the ones she uses have a plastic lining! I'll stick with Platypus, thank you.

There are many kinds of plastic. From what I've been able to discover, only a few types contain the harmful compounds.

What I've read about used soda bottles is that they are designed for a single use, so after being reused a few times the surface will erode, thus allowing bacterial growth. There was no citation listed to check this out, though. I suspect it might be a good idea to replace them occasionally.

As for Gatorade bottles, liquid Gatorade contains lots of high-fructose corn syrup, which most health authorities agree is not good for you. It might be safer to dump out the Gatorade and keep the bottle!

You too? and I thought I was the only one! to top it off once you get a little overweight they get so tantalizingly like the functional ones you used to chase in high school, and yet they are so non-functionally dissapointing! Obviously these pop bottles must be banned to save future generations the curse of moobs...

ROTFLMAO!

I needed a good laugh at work!

My experience confirms this concept. After about a week the bottles get "skunky" and need to be replaced.

I salvage most of my Gatorade bottles while walking near the local high school. Gatorade rots your teeth and spikes your blood sugar, but the containers are great.

If I were to use a gourd with a wooden plug, I have a feeling that someone would declare that unsafe too.

Only if it lessened your desire for functioning nipples!

How much do they weigh? They seem made of a thicker plastic the last time I remember holding one