Sigg Admits BPA Bisphenol in Older Metal Water Bottles

Stamford, CTA trendy metal water bottle that cashed in over BPA Bisphenol concerns in plastic bottles appears to have a BPA products scandal of its own. Sigg, the maker of metal personal water bottles that are sold in 15,000 stores worldwide, recently admitted that bottles manufactured prior to August of last year featured an inner liner that contained trace amounts of Bisphenol A.

The latter is a compound widely used in plastic food containers and canned food linings. Environmental and health experts have raised the red flag over BPA in recent years over the association of BPA with cancer. Initial concern with regard to plastic baby bottles containing BPA, has mushroomed to include the entire population.

Many US states have considered regulating, or banning BPA outright.

When the BPA debate heated up Sigg was already there with its high-end metal water bottle, and consumers gravitated to the product with the mistaken assumption that a metal bottle (an alternative to plastic) was safer.

It is alleged that Sigg did little to dispel the myth that bottles manufactured prior to August of last year contained trace amounts of BPA in the liner. "They were aggressive in responding to anyone that said they did [have BPA]," said Jeremiah McNichols, co-editor and publisher of the blog Z Recommends, which targets parents.

"(Responses were) very cleverly constructed to look like it was a denial that BPA was in the product, but it wasn't."

Elaine Shannon, editor in chief at the Environmental Working Group, said "Americans want transparency, and this company doesn't seem to understand that." The comments appeared in the August 31st edition of Advertising Age.

It has been revealed that Sigg began working on a BPA-free liner in 2006 and invested about US $1 million to produce its BPA-free EcoCare bottle liner. None of this activity, it is alleged, was ever articulated to a consumer thinking Sigg metal bottles were already free of BPA.

Sigg defended its position, saying that the debate in its view was about the potential for leaching of BPA, not the presence of BPA itself. It has been reported that Sigg's bottles present 0 percent leaching.

"I believe that the BPA conversation has changed dramatically in the last 12 months," Sigg CEO Steve Wasik said in an undated letter recently posted on the Sigg website. "Last year, the primary concern was that of BPA leaching from bottles. Since that time the dialogue has evolved such that now some people are concerned about the mere presence of BPA and some states are considering legislation."

The letter was summarized in Monday's editon of Advertising Age.