Nalgene is a brand of plastic products developed originally for laboratory use, including such items as
jar
A jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic, with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with a lid, screw cap, lug cap, cork stopper, roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on c ...
s,
bottle
A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...
s,
test tube
A test tube, also known as a culture tube or sample tube, is a common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top and closed at the bottom.
Test tubes are usually placed in ...
s, and
Petri dishes, that were shatterproof and lighter than glass. The properties of plastic products make them suitable for work with many substances in various temperature ranges.
Nalgene products are manufactured by
Nalge Nunc International, which in 2004 became a subsidiary of Fisher Scientific, now
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American supplier of scientific instrumentation, reagents and consumables, and software services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher was formed through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Sc ...
. The name ''Nalgene'' is a
registered trademark
The registered trademark symbol, , is a typographic symbol that provides notice that the preceding word or symbol is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office. A trademark is a symbol, word, or wor ...
.
Nalgene Outdoor
In the 1970s, conservationists began
discouraging the disposal of
cans and glass bottles by
burning and
burial in wilderness and recreation areas, and some places began forbidding such materials by regulation. Nalgene products became popular replacements among backpackers for storing consumables; the light, wide-mouthed
high-density polyethylene
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density ratio, ...
(HDPE) and
polycarbonate bottles were more secure than plastic bags and were used for both liquids and solid foods.
Originally, wilderness travelers purchased Nalgene products from laboratory-equipment suppliers, or perhaps gained access to them in their workplaces. Company lore has it that Nalge Company president Marsh Hyman discovered that his son's
Boy Scout troop was using Nalgene laboratory containers when camping. Since then, the company has re-packaged and marketed items for consumer sales through their line of Nalgene Outdoor products. By the late 1990s, the "Nalgene" trademark was recognized by many hikers, and sales of the 1-litre wide-mouth bottle of translucent polycarbonate (originally typically grey, but now commonly in bright colors, often with custom labels made for the bottle retailer) with a screw-on plastic top that stays attached when the bottle is open, began to increase. Today, many hikers and others recognize the distinctive appearance of Nalgene-branded bottles. Its laboratory pedigree is still suggested by the markings, in hundreds of millilitres, of the volume contained. The materials resist stains and odors absorption, and can be filled with boiling water. The wide-mouth bottle is more widely used and sold over the narrow-mouth bottles in sub-freezing conditions, since it is easier to break through ice in the wider mouth. Currently, Nalgene markets over ten different kinds of bottles, including the classic Wide Mouth and Narrow Mouth.
A variety of products from other manufacturers are designed for compatibility with this item's overall dimensions or its 2.5-inch neck; these include:
* Screw-on water-purifying filters.
* Stainless-steel collapsible-handle cups, for drinking and/or stove-top cooking, that store compactly with a Nalgene litre-bottle nested inside them.
* Insulated Nylon-fabric cases for Nalgene 1-litre bottles; features include stable attachment points and, in most cases, nesting for a cup.
* Snap-in plastic "splash guards" that narrow the neck opening to a size where drinking while in motion is less likely to cause spilling.
* Screw-in filters, which allow the user to add coffee grounds or tea, pour boiling water over the contents, seal the lid, and brew the beverage.
* Screw-on LED lights, creating a usable lantern with low power consumption.
Another widely available Nalgene Outdoor product is a 650 ml (22 fl oz) "All-Terrain" or "bike" bottle. The bottle is made from
low-density polyethylene
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from the monomer ethylene. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) using a high pressure process via free radical polymerization. Its ...
(LDPE), and its screw top has two moving parts — a drinking nozzle that seals until snapped open by pulling on it, and a hinged polycarbonate dome, that when closed both snaps the nozzle closed and protects the nozzle against contamination. Unlike traditional Nalgene containers, this item can be damaged and potentially ruined by filling it with very hot water.
Recently, Nalgene has added
hydration system
A hydration system is an apparatus used in recreation and other sustained outdoor activities. It is intended to help its user carry liquid, to support the physical effort involved in the activity, without the need to use one's hands or take off t ...
s to its cycling and wilderness product line. The line features 1- to 3-litre bladders with hose-and-bite-valve assemblies in small back-carried packs (mostly under 1000 cubic inches, or 16 L, of additional storage). Nalgene offers the option of two different bladder materials for a choice of superior taste and bacteria resistance versus improved durability. In addition, the bladder on these products can be quickly detached from the hose and pack by a self-sealing connector on the bladder. These features were intended to improve on perceived issues with existing hydration systems, including difficulty filling and/or leaking water into gear that shares the pack.
Increased awareness of the importance of
hydration while exercising has led to the appearance of some Nalgene containers in urban and suburban settings like gyms, offices, and campuses. Many colleges give or sell Nalgene water bottles to their students, and Nalgene bottles are also customized and sold as retail promotions.
In October 2017, Nalgene launched a new line of colors for their water bottles.
Bisphenol A (BPA) concerns
In recent years, studies have suggested that
polycarbonates, made from
bisphenol A (BPA) and
phosgene (), such as the ones Nalgene used, may leach
endocrine disruptors
Endocrine disruptors, sometimes also referred to as hormonally active agents, endocrine disrupting chemicals, or endocrine disrupting compounds are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormonal) systems. These disruptions can cause ca ...
including BPA.
Nalgene denies that the quantity leached from their products posed a significant
threat to health.
Among the secreted chemicals, BPA is a concern, as it binds to
estrogen receptor
Estrogen receptors (ERs) are a group of proteins found inside cells. They are receptors that are activated by the hormone estrogen (17β-estradiol). Two classes of ER exist: nuclear estrogen receptors ( ERα and ERβ), which are members of the ...
s, thus altering
gene expression. Other research has found that fixatives in polycarbonate plastics can cause chromosomal error in cell division called
aneuploidy
Aneuploidy is the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell, for example a human cell having 45 or 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. It does not include a difference of one or more complete sets of chromosomes. A cell with any ...
. Nalgene claims these chemicals are only potentially released from Nalgene products when used at temperatures outside of the designed range.
In November 2007, the national Canadian
co-operative retailer
Mountain Equipment Co-op removed all hard, clear polycarbonate plastic water bottles (including Nalgene-branded product) from their shelves and replaced them with BPA-free Nalgene bottles. In December 2007,
Lululemon
lululemon athletica inc. (; styled in all lowercase) is a Canadian multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in British Columbia and incorporated in Delaware, United States. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and ot ...
made a similar move. In May 2008,
Recreational Equipment, Inc. removed Nalgene-branded
polycarbonate water bottles and replaced them with BPA-free Nalgene bottles.
On April 18, 2008,
Health Canada announced that bisphenol A is "'toxic' to human health". On the same date, Nalgene announced it would phase out production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers containing the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Nalgene subsequently adopted
Tritan copolyester, a BPA-free
copolyester made by
Eastman Chemical
Eastman Chemical Company is an American company primarily involved in the chemical industry. Once a subsidiary of Kodak, today it is an independent global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, chemicals and ...
, as a substitute.
Although unpublished studies in 2008 and 2009 by Oregon State students suggest that
BPA does not leach from
polycarbonate plastic under extreme conditions, BPA is not the only component of plastics which can mimic estrogen and act as an endocrine disruptor. Unfortunately, BPA-free Tritan plastics were later found to leach other estrogenic chemicals in a cell-based assay.
Eastman Chemical
Eastman Chemical Company is an American company primarily involved in the chemical industry. Once a subsidiary of Kodak, today it is an independent global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, chemicals and ...
, the manufacturer of Tritan, will not disclose precise information about the chemical structure of Tritan.
A study fro
CertiChem(a private lab in Austin, Texas dedicated to studying
endocrine disruption
Endocrine disruptors, sometimes also referred to as hormonally active agents, endocrine disrupting chemicals, or endocrine disrupting compounds are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormonal) systems. These disruptions can cause ca ...
) found that green-colored Nalgene bottles effectively block the effects of UV rays, thus rendering the specific model studied safe from specific BPA-leaching concerns. However, CertiChem's founder and neuroscience professor at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
, George Bittner, cautioned that green Nalgene bottles found in stores "aren't guaranteed to be safe since minor change to the chemical formula can introduce estrogens".
See also
*
Cyclobutanediol as an alternative to bisphenol A
*
Phthalates
Phthalates (, ), or phthalate esters, are esters of phthalic acid. They are mainly used as plasticizers, i.e., substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are used primarily to soften ...
References
External links
Atlantic article on safety of BPA free productsNalgenePhthalates as Endocrine Disrupters - 2003 Nalge Nunc International
{{HealthIssuesOfPlastics
Packaging materials
Plastic brands