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Nalgene (sometimes referred to as Nalge Nunc International) is a distributor and manufacturer of plastic laboratory containers that has diversified into the field of containers for outdoor sports. It is a subsidiary of Sybron International. Many products distributed by Nalgene are actually produced by the Italian company Technoplast.
Its original line included jars, bottles, test tubes, graduated cylinders, Petri dishes, and the like. At the time of introduction, these products were helpful to workers such as chemists and biologists because they were shatterproof and lighter than glass. They also make polycarbonate cages and cage accessories for lab animals. The properties of the respective plastics make them suitable for work with many materials, in various temperature ranges.
In the 1970s, conservationists began discouraging the former wilderness approach of disposing of cans and glass containers by burning and burying, lest such debris clutter or otherwise damage wilderness and recreation areas, and some places began forbidding such materials by regulation. Nalgene products became popular replacements among backpackers for storing consumables; the light, wide-mouthed, HDPE and Lexan bottles were more secure than plastic bags, and found use for both liquids and solid foods.
Originally, wilderness travelers purchased Nalgene products through laboratory-equipment suppliers (or perhaps got access to them in their workplaces), but the company has re-packaged and marketed items that most appeal to them for consumer sales. By the late 1990s, "Nalgene", when used without further specification, was among many hikers a noun for a 1 liter wide-mouth bottle of tinted transparent Lexan (typically grey, but sometimes in bright colors), with a screw-on top of less durable plastic (typically blue), that stays attached when the bottle is open, and acts as a carrying or anchoring loop when closed. Its laboratory pedigree is suggested by the markings, in hundreds of milliliters, of the volumes contained when filled to the corresponding levels. The materials preclude stains or absorbing odors, and permit filling the bottle with boiling water (to delay the time, in sub-freezing conditions, when the contents freeze up). The wide-mouth bottle is recommended over the newer, narrow-mouth bottles in sub-freezing condition as well since it is easier to break through freeze-up ice in the wider mouth.
Products originated by other manufacturers, that are designed for compatibility with this item's overall dimensions or its 63 mm neck include:
- Screw-on water-purifying filters.
- Stainless-steel collapsible-handle cups, for drinking and/or stove-top cooking, that store compactly with a Nalgene liter-bottle nested inside them.
- Nylon-fabric cases, each holding one Nalgene 1 liter bottle; these insulate the bottle, and provide strong, stable attachment points. In most cases, a nested cup, as noted above, is also accommodated, if desired.
- Snap-in plastic "splash guards" that narrow the neck opening to a size where drinking while in motion is unlikely to cause spilling.
Another widely available Nalgene outdoors product is a 650 ml (22 fl oz) "All-Terrain" or "bike" bottle; the bottle itself is LDPE; its screw top has two moving parts: a drinking nozzle that seals until snapped open by pulling on it, and a hinged Lexan dome, that when closed both snaps the nozzle closed and protects the nozzle against contamination. (Not all Nalgene customers understand that this item will be damaged, and potentially ruined -- despite the company name -- by filling it with very hot water.)
Recently, Nalgene has added hydration systems to its cycling and wilderness product line. Its emphasis is on back-carried 1 to 3 liter bladders, with hose-and-bite-valve assemblies, in small packs (mostly under 1000 cubic inches (16 L) of additional storage). Nalgene's offering an option as to bladder material suggests they may intend to claim superior odor- and stain-resistance; in addition, the ability to quickly detach a bladder from its hose and pack (with a self-sealing connector on the bladder), seems aimed at dissatisfaction, in traditional hydration systems, with problems of awkward filling and/or spilling water into gear that shares the pack.
Increased awareness of the importance of hydration, and perhaps a fad of wilderness chic, have led to the appearance of some Nalgene containers in urban and suburban settings like gyms, offices, and campuses. Several colleges give or sell Nalgene water bottles to their students.
In 1997 Nalgene was targeted in a nationwide boycott by campus based animal rights activists for products used in live experimentation. The majority of company criticism was directed towards a Nalgene device that prevents rabbits from breaking their own backs during pyrogen testing (this process includes injection, bleeding and inducing fever). The company has responded with an official statement that it supported research "conducted only within the guidelines of the federal Animal Welfare Act and only when necessary."
Possible health risks
In recent years, numerous studies have suggested that polycarbonate plastics such as the ones used by Nalgene may leach estrogen analogs into heated or acidic liquids, although Nalgene denies this. It is important to note that estrogen analogs are not, in fact, estrogen, as many have come to believe. Among the secreted chemicals, Bisphenol A is most responsible for the reaction with estrogen. Other research has found that fixatives in polycarbonate plastics can cause chromosomal error in cell division called aneuploidy.
An alternative is available in the polyethylene versions of these products (made out of HDPE, Nalgene's traditional material), which are free of these chemicals. They can be identified by their greater flexibility, their translucent, "milky" appearance, and by the number 2 triangular plastic recycling symbol on the bottom.
see also: Bisphenol A, phthalates
References
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External links
"Nalgene"