What Are the Dangers of Aluminum Water Bottles?

As more questions are being raised about the health risks of chemicals used to make plastic water bottles, millions of users have switched to aluminum containers, believing them to be the safer choice. Although aluminum hasn't received as much attention as plastic, similar questions have been raised about its effects on health. A careful review of the available literature is required to sort the claims and counterclaims raised by critics and proponents.

Production Process Is Suspect

• Assessing the risks begins with an understanding of the process used to make aluminum and plastic water bottles. Environmental concerns have surfaced about bisphenol A, or BPA, a key ingredient in plastic bottles. Once exposed to heat, trace amounts of BPA—under certain conditions—can leach into foods or liquids, according to reusablebags.com. Ingestion of these compounds is linked to certain types of cancer (particularly of the prostate) as well as developmental defects, according to the site.

Bottle Makers Admit Problems

• Switching to aluminum bottles sounded like an ideal solution, in light of further disclosures about BPA's ability to disrupt the endocrine system. In August 2009, however, SIGG and Laken—two prominent manufacturers—acknowledged that every bottle made before August 2008 had been lined with a water-based expoxy containing BPA, according to reusablebags.com. Both companies reacted by switching to EcoCore, a new water-based liner that's been certified as being free of BPA and other harmful chemicals.

Leading Company Fared Well

• Testing by an independent German company, ÖKÖ-TEST, found that residue in aluminum bottles exceeded European Union standards. Only two bottles made by SIGG—known as the market leader in Germany and Switzerland—did not contain aluminum, according to progressivekid.com. Another firm, the Lefo Institute, also found BPA residue in most of the aluminum bottles it tested. German environmental authorities did not see an issue, saying the levels decreased as superfluous synthetic material from the coating washed out, which is why customers are urged to thoroughly wash out aluminum bottles before reusing them.

Health Problems Still Possible

• Linking the brain degeneration seen in Alzheimer's disease to harmful aluminum levels has proven more problematic. Dr. Lutz Frolich, secretary of the Frankfurt-based Alzheimer Foundation, asserted on progressivekid.com that an increased level of aluminum found in Alzheimer patients' brains could be the results of incorrect measurements. However, other tests have shown that high aluminum levels in food can lead to arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Such news is enough to convince medical professionals such as Frolich to warn, "Aluminum is a potential danger to your health; unnecessary amounts should be avoided."

Third Option Is Recommended

• Having weighed all the evidence, most authorities still feel comfortable recommending aluminum water bottles as the container of choice for bikers, hikers and mountaineers, reusablebags.com noted. Aluminum makes an attractive alternative to plastic and other types of disposable containers that further clog landfills. For those still feeling skittish about aluminum, thegoodhuman.com recommends stainless steel containers, which don't crack, leach or break and are equally environmentally friendly.