Our take on the Sigg/BPA News

There has been much written in the press and the blogs recently about the contents and safety of Sigg’s old (prior to August 2008) liners. Since some of you have purchased these bottles from us here at Greenraising, and a couple of the bottles are still up on our website and in our catalog, we want to be very clear about the issues and history of this debate so that you can make an informed decision about your old bottles as well as future purchases.

The basic facts:

News recently came out that SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 contained BPA in their liner.
While BPA is present in the old bottle liner, test results down to 2ppb sensitivity show no leaching.

Most canned fruits, vegetables, and sodas have similar linings -- it’s not just Sigg bottles.

Sigg was misleading about the presence of BPA in the liners at all (pointing to “no leaching” but not admitting the presence of BPA). Because of this, there has been a public outcry about the breach of trust involved.

Sigg is sponsoring a voluntary exchange program. This is NOT a recall, since the bottles have not proven to be unsafe, but is a concession to the fact that many consumers choose not to expose themselves to BPA at any level.
Are Sigg bottles unsafe?

In our opinion, no.

While SIGG old liners do contain BPA, it is highly polymerized (which basically means the chemical is locked in). Remember, just because BPA is part of the bottle does not mean it leaches.

If the liner does leach any BPA, it would be in minute amounts, below 2ppb - the level of sensitivity used in test. According to a Health Canada study, average bottled water contains 1.5 ppb of BPA.

What should I do with my bottle if it has the old liner?

You can read all about Sigg’s independent testing, which shows no leaching down to 2ppb sensitivity here: http://mysigg.com/bulletin/pdf/Former%20Liner%20Full%20Report%20BPA%20Leach%20Testing%20June%202007.pdf
There is a wealth of information about BPA online. Find reputable sources, and read what they have to say.
Decide whether you are comfortable with this, or whether you would like to return your bottle to Sigg and get a bottle with their new BPA-free EcoCare liner in exchange. They are accepting old bottles for exchange through October, 2009. You can find details of their exchange program here: http://mysigg.com/bulletin/exchange_program.html.
We at Greenraising deeply regret that Sigg did not disclose the presence of BPA in their linings as soon as they knew about it. We were also misled. We welcome your thoughts and comments at info@greenraising.com.