Ruth Elliott once thought nothing of carrying her drinking water in a Nalgene polycarbonate bottle, the plastic container that many bikers, hikers and babies use. But she began to notice more people in her Santa Cruz, Calif., neighborhood transporting their H2O in sleek stainless-steel receptacles. Early this year she joined the growing cadre of metal toters when she plunked down $25.95 for a 40-oz. (1.2 L) stainless bottle. What swayed Elliott, 32, was Canada’s decision in late 2007 to reassess a substance found in polycarbonate — bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen mimicker linked to several medical conditions and diseases.
That the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in a draft report on Aug. 15 that the trace amounts of BPA found in polycarbonate containers do not pose a threat to infants or adults mattered not a whit to Elliott, or to the many others who have heeded the advice of some experts who disagree with the FDA. (Canada has announced it will ban the import and sale of polycarbonate baby bottles.)
The groundswell of demand has helped producers of stainless bottles experience a huge surge in sales, seemingly overnight. But the switch has also created its own set of management, environment and trade issues for the lucky manufacturers. One winner is Klean Kanteen, in Chico, Calif., which projects 2008 revenues of $18 million, up from $2.5 million in 2007 and less than $1 million in 2006…
