OK. Here's what I think. As an environmental toxicologist one part of my job is to advise people, agencies and the general public on their potential risks from chemical exposure.

And you know what? I have a Nalgene bottle on my desk. Drink about a gallon a day out of it. Do I have plans to get rid of it because of the recent reports? No. Though I have to admit those Sigg bottles that Kylie is talking about are cool.

Is there a risk from the leaching of Bisphenol A from polycarbonate bottles? Probably not. By the calculations for a standard risk assessment, the amount of water one would have to consume to get to a known risk level is all but physically impossible (many gallons a day). There may be more concern for infants, children and pregnant women, but even then more research is needed. And the NTP report that everyone is taking as the word that these bottles are unsafe, said exactly that. There may be an issue, but more research is needed.

And here's the thing that I think is almost funny. A couple of years ago the chemical concern dujour was phthalates. You know where they come from? The soft plastics that are now suposed to be safe. Those bottles haven't changed. Only the media focus has shifted.

The bottom line, as far as I see it, is that anything that water is put in, is likely going to add something to the mix. Water isn't known as the universal solvent for nothing. Does that mean that there is a risk to your healt? Absolutely not. The benefit your body gets from being well hydrated, likely offsets any potential exposure to trace amounts of chemicals in the water you're drinking. And frankly, no matter what water you'rre drinking there are probably other things there that are more of a worry. And don't even get me started on bottled water.

In the end you have to do what you're comfortable with. And there are new bottles from Camelback and Nalgene that are Bisphenol A free. Though I would bet that in a couple years we'll be having this discussion again about whatever polymer they are made out of. And everyone will be wondering why they stopped making Nalgene like they used to.

I only use Polar bottles and have for years. They've redesigned their mouthpieces so they are more durable. Bottom line is the that you freeze the bottle and it insulates better. I routinely ride in 100+ in Texas. I freeze the bottle when it is half-full of Gatorade, fill the rest of the way right before the ride, and it will stay icy-cold for at least 2 hours.

www.polarbottle.com/

+1
The Siggs are cool looking, but I wouldn't worry about the Nalgene. JamieM hit the nail on the head on this one.

I find that rinsing bottles with a strong baking soda solution a couple times helps get rid of the plastic taste.

For training- I prefer the largest bottle I can fit on my bike. I have the 24oz bottles