Sigg aluminum water bottles manufactured before 2008 have been found to contain small amounts of bisphenol-A (BPA), the Globe and Mail reported Sept. 3.
BPA is a potentially harmful carcinogen used to harden plastic—and the reason many people turned to aluminum water bottles in the first place. While scientists disagree about how harmful the trace amounts in water bottles truly are, BPA is known to mimic the actions of the powerful hormone estrogen.
Sigg company officials were aware of the BPA content of their water bottles at the time the bottles were designed and produced, but only announced it publicly in August.
The Swiss company has offered to send out a new, BPA-free bottle at no cost to each customer who mails in a water bottle with the old lining.
It’s ironic Sigg water bottles, marketed as a safe, eco-chic alternative to plastic bottles, contain the same chemical that inspired enough health concern to drive the public away from plastics and in search of aluminum bottles.
Sigg should have demonstrated the corporate responsibility to avoid using BPA in products, since the company was aware of the chemical’s reputation as a potentially harmful substance.
In a world where there always seems to be a new chemical to beware of, we shouldn’t need a scientist on our shoulder to advise us if what we’re purchasing or consuming is harmful. We should be able to put our trust in companies to at least advise us of the potential danger of a product and let us make the choice without relying on corporate watchdogs to monitor ethical conduct.
It’s dissatisfying Sigg has launched a new marketing ploy to capitalize on consumers’ unease. The agreement to send new water bottles to disgruntled drinkers diminishes the consumer’s intelligence, suggesting the focus on health and ethics can be erased by offering us free goods.
It’s also gimmicky for a company that prides itself on eco-friendly behaviour to launch a program that discourages reusing old water bottles in favour of manufacturing more.
BPA is only one of the chemicals we encounter on a daily basis, and an example of the trade-off we face between optimal health and fear-mongering our lives away.
Consumers should take from this water bottle brouhaha the knowledge that health risks are often the price of convenience. The onus is largely on us to use common sense and make informed choices.
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