Why Not Aluminum Bottles?

I was working outside a few weeks ago and lost my plastic bottle, so am going to be buying a new one soon. I had been thinking about aluminum, simply because I wanted to move away from plastic, but you raise some really good points.

It seems like the only advantage aluminum has over steel is perhaps its weight. I will have to do some more thinking before I buy a new bottle…

I was wondering if you knew anything about glass bottles. I had a glass water bottle for a while, and yes it was heavy, but it seemed like the safest option for me. Any thoughts?

The truth always comes out eventually, if its not nalgene bottles being usafe, its aluminium bottles that are potentially dangerous. Although not very desireable, glass may be the safest route to go!

I normally use plastic bottles.. never really use aluminum and glass bottles as they are heavy to carry. There are rumors that aluminum contributes to Alzheimer’s disease. Is it true?

You are right first we should analyze the safety of aluminum bottles and you have made good point for that.

It is interesting that aluminum is such a bad choice. Most would assume that switching to any metal bottle would be better than using plastic. Deceptive marketing practices have led people to assume a product is safe when it might not be. Thanks for sharing this info with us.

Excellent post Patrick – I couldn’t agree with you more, aluminum is not safe for water – or food. Even though there’s no definitive proof linking aluminum with Alzheimer’s I stopped using aluminum cookware years ago. While glass is heavier I believe it is the safest. My drinking bottle of choice is a 16 oz glass vinegar bottle. I made a little cozy for my bottle out of neoprene (the stuff scuba suits are made of). It cushions the bottle a bit from bumps AND keeps my water cold! As an aside, I’m a programmer also 🙂

I have heard of a company called Naturally Iowa that is providing pure, natural, award-winning spring water in 100% biodegradable bottles made entirely from corn. Even the packaging is made from PLA. I have yet to try the product, but it sounds like an amazing alternative to plastic and refilling your reusable bottles with sketchy tap water. I have done quite a bit of research on this subject, and most bottled water and tap water contain quite a bit of contaminants, and many filters people use for their tap contain vast amounts of the plastic people are trying to get away from. It really sucks that every place you turn, there is going to be plastic involved, and with it comes the health and environmental affects. This product sounds like a pretty good alternative.

Actually, the whole thing about aluminium causing Alzheimer’s disease is a myth. To increase the chances of this disease you must consume at least 2000 mg of aluminium a day, something in the order of 2000 cups of tea, which is the highest source of aluminium. You would literally need to eat the bottle to cause any damage.

If you have a concern about aluminum bottles, then don’t use them! There are multiple eco-friendly alternatives. For example, Klean Kanteen uses high-quality stainless steel. There is NO liner, NO BPA, and NO leaching. However, you don’t have to completely rule out aluminum. Brands such as SIGG redesigned their liner to be completely safe and BPA free, so they’re trustworthy also! Thanks for the blog!