My son is interested in getting a Camelbak hydration backpack. I looked on their website and they talk about their water bottels being BPA free but I couldn't find any info about the materials used in their back packs. Does anyone know anything about them and if the materials used are safe or not?
Thank you
Mary-Anne

Re: Camelbak hydration systems

We have one that I used postpartum. I was laying down for several weeks and kept choking on water out of a glass so my husband used this as a solution. It worked great! I looked on their website too. It looks like their bottles as of January 2008 are BPA and Phthalates free, but it does not talk about their hydration packs. I don't know what type of soft plastic they use in their packs. I just looked at ours tonight and there is no indication on the plastic bag bladder. I sent them an email asking them about this, and I will post the answer as soon as I hear from them.

Camelbak: A letter to and from the company

I understand your bottles are BPA and phytate free, but what about your hydration packs? What kind of plastic are they made from? GreenMoms want to know.

Thanks!
Melinda
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Hello Melinda

All of our pack reservoirs are made of polyurethane, with a silver antibacterial lining and do not contain any BPA.


I hope this answers your questions,

Sincerely,

Liz Trice

RE: Camelbak, A letter to and from

That is really nice to get a response from the company. I am curious what they mean by silver antibiotic liner? That doesn't sound safe if they are talking about silver the heavy metal. I wonder if those antibiotics can get into the water?

The silver lining they mention sounds like nanotechnology. It is often used for antibacterial reasons. Nanotechnology is a health and environmental concern.

For more info on nanotechnology you can go to the organic consumers website. Here is just a snippet from one article found there:

"Because of their small size, there are fears that when products using nanomaterials break down, some of the tiny particles will be able to cross into cell membranes or become embedded in tissues in a way that is similar to such carcinogens as asbestos or such health hazards as the small particulates, or soot, contained in air pollution."

Just searching the web for "dangers of nanotechnology" also turns up some good info.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-possible-dangers-of-nanotechnology.htm

Re: Camelbak hydration systems

It is smart to be leary of nanotechnology. They call their liner 'anti-microbial technology'. I just sent a message asking if it is nano technology. I will let you know their answer. It sure sounds like it is.

Nano Technology for Camelback?

Here is the letter I sent and got back from them re: this:

Liz,

Question regarding the antimicrobial technology in the hydration packs. Is this nano technology?
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Hello,

No this is not Nano Technology.

Thank you for contacting Camelbak.

Liz

Hmmm. . . I really wonder how they make their lining then? From the bit I've read about nano-technology it sounds like this is exactly the situation where nano-technology is used. Wish I could think of an alternative to the camelbak. . .

I did find something that might work as an alternative to the camelbak - a desert water bag. They are made of canvas. From ebay, I learned that they were used back when gas stations were few and far between and folks needed cool water. They were also used during war time. The bags are soaked first in water and then filled up. They have a spout in one of the top corners of the bag. I tried to do a search on the web to find a place that sold them, but I wasn't very successful. You can find some on ebay and you might be able to find some at an army surplus store. To see what they look like you can search "canvas water bag" on ebay. If you went this route you could always devise some way to strap it on your back. Of course, it doesn't have the nifty, long straw like contraption but it might be a start to some alternative to the camelbak.