How SIGG Lost My Trust
During this last week we learned that SIGG bottles manufactured before August 2008 (not 2009, as I have mistakenly mentioned before) contained Bisphenol-A (BPA) in their liners. BPA is a chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, and is part of a group of molecules known as endocrine disruptors.
Endocrine disruptors are defined by the National Institute of Health as: "Naturally occurring compounds or man-made chemicals that may interfere with the production or activity of hormones of the endocrine system leading to adverse health effects. Many of these chemicals have been linked with developmental, reproductive, neural, immune, and other problems in wildlife and laboratory animals. Some scientists think these chemicals also are adversely affecting human health in similar ways resulting in declined fertility and increased incidences or progression of some diseases including endometriosis and cancers."
BPA is everywhere: in plastic bottles, in metal food cans, in food and toys. But where we did not think it existed was in our SIGGs. I have gone on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Martha and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and told scores of magazines, newspapers, radio programs and lecture audiences to get reusable water bottles. My follow-up line has often been, "I use SIGGs," accompanied by a gesture toward the bottle that was nearly always on my person, one that I had known and loved for years.
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