There's been some talk lately of toxic compounds in plastics that are often used for drinking and baby bottles. We'll keep this page updated with new information as it becomes available.

Several people have been asking us what we recommend as reusable drinking bottles, and there are good choices depending on what you need. Glass bottles have always been our favorite for pure, unflavored water. Re-using a purchased bottle of mineral water means that it also costs less than $4. Being made for retail shipping and handling, they are surprisingly durable, but of course they will shatter if you drop them on concrete or hard tile.

That being said, we can't remember the last time we've dropped a plastic bottle from height, either. The caps of glass bottles are often made of plastic or aluminum, which isn't ideal, but at least the water usually doesn't sit around in contact with the cap. There are also stainless canteens made by several companies; they seem decent choices, as well, but we definitely prefer the taste of glass-bottled water. For infants, a stainless bottle, or at least a glass bottle with some cushioning around it, may be a better bet.

Here is the list of household plastics:

Commonly known as: PC, Lexan, Polycarbonate, Nalgene (misnomer) Properties: Rigid, can be transparent, melts at higher temperatures, used for sunglasses, CDs, re-usable drinking bottles, water cooler bottles Known risks: BPA: carciogen, endocrine disruptor

Commonly known as: Polyethylene, HDPE, PETE Properties: Can be flexible or rigid, depending on thickness and type Known risks: Antimony: PETE leaches this highly toxic compound into water, especially in hot weather.

Commonly known as: Polypropylene, PP Properties: Opaque plastic, sometimes used for cutting boards and water filter vessels. Known risks: We're having difficulty finding specific information. Contact us if you have research links in peer-reviewed publications.

Commonly known as: Copolyester, Tritan Properties: Rigid, can be transparent, used for re-usable drinking bottles Known risks: This is the new kid on the block, and the reusable water bottle makers, finally acknowledging the toxic effects of polycarbonate, are jumping all over it. It's specifically advertised as "bisphenol-A free", but you can bet it contains a boatload of other chemicals with side effects that are yet unknown. Remember, it took decades to uncover the toxic effects of polycarbonate/Lexan.

We find it a bit amusing, and probably more the work of Eastman's marketing department, that its main claim to fame is being free of a specific chemical, bisphenol-A. It's a bit like saying "this gasoline is lead-free!" Even being lead-free, gasoline is still one of the nastiest concoctions around, and just saying it's lead free doesn't mean we're ready to go and drink it or pour it into the earth.