The results of this study are incredibly important, considering that millions of children in third-world countries are dying each year from diarrhea caused by contaminated drinking water. Providing families of these children with brass containers to store their water could save many lives.

Of course, in the western world, gastrointestinal infections are less frequent and rarely cause death. Nonetheless, bacterial contamination of your water is an important issue.

This recent study is important not only because it could lead to lives being saved in other parts of the world, but also because it provides further evidence that using plastic bottles may not be in your best interest.

Using plastic containers to store your water can not only increase your exposure to bisphenol A, this study suggests that doing so could also increase your exposure to potentially harmful bacteria. Since many plastic bottles are also difficult to clean, this could worsen the problem even more. So if you are reusing the water bottles that come in soda-like containers you are particularly at risk as the only way to clean those bottles is in a dishwasher.

The answer here is not to start storing your water in brass bottles, however. In the long run, the metallic ions that leach from these brass containers and kill bacteria could actually disturb your zinc/copper ratios and contribute to problems like Alzheimer's disease.

Of course, if your main concern were dying from diarrhea induced by contaminated water, using brass containers to store it in would qualify as the lesser of two evils and be a sensible choice.

Consuming pure water is an important part of overall health, as is making sure you are drinking enough of it. Since we can't all find pure glacier water, the next best choice is to use your own tap water, along with the best water filter you can find.

My first choice for water containers is glass, and I only use plastic bottles when I travel. I used to use colored high-density Nalgene bottles, but some recent information I came across suggests they are unsafe.

Plastics that are safer to use for storing food and beverages, none of which are known to leach harmful substances, include:

• Polypropylene, designated "#5 PP"
• High-density polyethylene, designated "#2HDPE"
• Low-density polyethylene, designated "#4 LDPE"

Now I use the wide-mouth Nalgene bottles that are made from the safe plastic. I found them at www.campmor.com and just purchased a dozen so I don't have to worry about replacing them when they invariably get lost or left behind on my many trips. The wide mouth allows them to be easily cleaned so they don't accumulate bacteria. I bring my water to my office with me in a glass container, as that is better. It is just difficult to travel with glass due to the obvious safety reasons.

Finally, please remember another important reason to avoid plastic water bottles. While toxin exposure from plastic water bottles and potential bacterial growth can certainly harm your health, our overuse of them is pushing the health of planet earth in the wrong direction.

Related Articles:

Nalgene Water Bottles Appear to be Unsafe

Why I Now Say No to Distilled Water Only

The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation

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Beware of Lead in Your Tap Water