Updates (Vermont's Lead Bill, and Nalgene and BPA)-

Thanks to a reader, Maria, I learned that Nalgene, that maker of the popular hiking/outdoor enthusiast type water bottle, has launched a new website touting their new BPA and phthalate free water bottles. She first read about it over at Z recommends.

Now this is strange. Is this the same company that I posted about a month or so ago, who on their website, staunchly advocated that BPA is harmless?

Clearly, they've been working on this for awhile. I noticed (as did the folks at Z recs) that the timing was very...interesting. They released the site the same week the Today show doctor told viewers not to by #7 plastics and held up a Nalgene bottle.

On the new website, they list their old bottles, and then the new bottles with the words "BPA and phthalate free". No discussion, just bottles available with toxic chemicals or not.

Wouldn't it have been nice if they made some public statement, saying just to be safe, they switched their whole product line over to BPA and phthalate free bottles, to protect consumers using a precautionary principle? Instead, they are still selling the #7s that we are all told to avoid, because they are, in the words of the Today show doctor, "a major health threat to families." Okay.

Vermont readers, I also testified again this past week in support of the Lead in Consumer Products Bill. The bill is now in a house committee, and with only three weeks left of the legislative session, time is tight. When I spoke, the Representatives encouraged me to tell supporters of this bill to contact them. If you live in Vermont, please visit this link to find out your Representative's contact information. Send them an email telling them to support the Lead in Consumer Products Bill so we can stop Vermont kids from getting their hands on leaded products, while companies make a buck.