A trendy brand of metal water bottles has been found to pose a risk of lead poisoning, according to a consumer watchdog investigation.
The insulated Bindle bottle preserves the liquid’s temperature and also contains a compartment for snacks, keys, or credit cards. It has a small dot on the bottom of it that contains 10 percent lead, according to Consumer Reports.
Product safety tests performed by the consumer advocacy group claim that the bottles contained approximately 1,100 times the level of lead legally allowed in many consumer products. They also reported that the bottles contained bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to fertility problems and certain cancers.
Because of the safety risks associated with using lead-laden bottles, Consumer Reports urged people to stop drinking from them immediately. The organization has also alerted the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a more thorough investigation.
The scathing report about Bindle bottles comes just a couple of months after Green Sprouts, a different bottle manufacturer, recalled thousands of water bottles and sippy cups for potentially exposing children to lead.
Consumer Reports tested the ‘sealing dot,’ a circle of solder in the bottom storage compartment of the bottle that holds the parts of the bottle together
CR said that lead solder is a common component of bottles like the Bindle, but it is typically covered with other food-grade materials. Whereas in the Bindle that dot is uncovered and exposed
Even low levels of lead exposure can cause a range of health problems including shortened attention span and a host of learning disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory problems, lower IQ, slowed growth in children, and, in higher concentrations, seizures, permanent nerve and brain damage, and death.
They also reported that the color coating surrounding two bottles contained BPA.
Ashita Kapoor, an associate director of product safety at CR who oversaw the tests said: ‘Because this powder coat is in direct contact with our skin while holding the bottle, this exposure to BPA may harm the female reproductive system.’
Testing by Consumer Reports concluded that the lead content of the ‘sealing dot,’ which is used to seal the vacuum that keeps the contents cold or hot, ranged from 90,800 parts per million to 155,000 parts per million.
CR said: ‘Lead solder is a common component of bottles like this, but it is typically covered with other food-grade materials. In the Bindle, that dot is uncovered and exposed.’
Bindle, for its part, acknowledged the issue last week, saying that the company is ‘taking this very seriously and are working on steps to ensure we resolve this issue as quickly as possible.’
Still, the company said: ‘Recent testing has shown that this soldering dot contains lead. While we believe the small area of lead poses negligible risk to the health and safety of users.’
The company is also working to retrofit the bottles to cover the lead dot on existing bottles and to redesign future bottles.
Tamara Rubin, also known as ‘Lead Safe Mama,’ tested the metal Bindle bottle for lead using an at-home swab test
The Green Sprout recall last year stemmed from a similar problem. The bottom base of the bottles could break off, exposing a solder dot that contained lead. The voluntary recall covered more than 10,000 units.
Consumer Reports decided to probe claims that the bottles contained lead after receiving a tip from blogger Tamara Rubin of ‘Lead Safe Mama,’ who conducted her own test on the bottles using a simple lead-check swab that is available at many major retailers such as Amazon and Home Depot.
Ms Rubin claimed last month: ‘When you watch the video at the top of the page showing me using a LeadCheck® reactive agent test swab on the bottle, you may notice (as I did) that the swab started to turn pink before I even touched it to the sealing dot! That is because there is microparticulate Lead ALL OVER the interior of the compartment.’
Bindle, like many startups these days, had its start on Kickstarter where it garnered a cash infusion of about $40,000 in 2017.
But the company got a major boost the following year when it was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things list.
The brand took off thanks to its savvy social media presence and marketing strategies that consisted of Instagram posts showing attractive young people toting the multitasking bottles along for their hikes, sightseeing adventures, and trips to the beach.
It also marketed itself as a salve for environmental damage, saying on its website: ‘Our goal is… cutting down on the consumption of single-use plastics in everyday life.’
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