Otsuka Beverage Co. Ltd, a Japanese company, has recalled eight million bottles of Crystal Geyser mineral water after receiving 75 complaints about its bad smell.

Consumers were complaining it smelled like insecticide and medicine.  Apparently, the water was tested and there were no problems with it, but they believe the plastic bottles may have absorbed smells that they were exposed to.

This is just on the heels of Kirin Beverage recalling over half a million bottles of Volvic after finding that some of the bottles smelled like paint.

I may be simplifying things, but it seems logical to me that if the plastic in these disposables is “porous” enough to absorb smells, it would potentially leach chemicals into the water.

Why take chances?  Drink from a reuseable metal bottle that won’t leach anything - no matter what you store it next to!

Check out the style guide in the New York Times for a great comparison of some terrific water bottles that are available. The bottles were used on a hike - so the author’s view is from what works best on the trail.

Personally, I like to use my Sigg when I’m driving because of the small opening.  If I’m traveling, I prefer my Klean Kanteen because it’s light and easy to clean.  For hiking and swimming, it’s my Guyot  because it’s indestructable and I love the available insert that allows me to chug splash free.

We, obviously, favor the metal choices and like what he had to say about them.  What do you think?

Be one of the first ten people to post a comment in the Reviews section of our blog at H2Ox2.com and receive a free gift!

The New York Times reports there is a rise in the number of children developing kidney stones, and one of the contributing factors is that children are not drinking enough water.

According to the article, most kidney stones are a result of oxalate binding to calcium in the urine.  “…the two biggest risk factors for this binding process are not drinking enough fluids and eating too much salt; both increase the amount of calcium and oxalate in the urine.”  Drinking sports drinks and soda are not the answer.

When you start looking at some of the nutrition data for what our kids are eating, it’s pretty easy to understand why they’re getting so much sodium.  Between the prepackaged and fast foods that have become standard fare for today’s busy kids, we also do them a disservice by providing them with as many sports drinks as they desire, thinking that they’re a healthy alternative to soda.  The sodium content of a liter of Gatorade is about 450 milligrams - which may be healthy for an active, sweaty athlete!  It doesn’t really serve as a replacement for water, does it?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the average 9-13 year old child should consume 1500 milligrams of sodium a day.  Consider a trip to McDonalds for a QuarterPounder with cheese (1190 mgs.), a large fries (350 mgs.) and a medium Powerade (130 mgs.)…Wow!  That’s a whopping 1670 milligrams of sodium in one meal.   Check other McDonalds’ nutrition facts by clicking on the link.

Dr. Alicia Neu, medical director of pediatric nephrology and the pediatric stone clinic at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore says that “Drinking more water is the most important step in the prevention of kidney stones.”

Although obesity can be a contributing factor, Dr. Caleb Nelson, a urology instructor ad Harvard Medical School is quoted as saying “Of the school-age and adoescent kids we’ve seen, most of them appear to be reasonably fit, active kids.”

Encourage your child to be healthy with a personalized Klean Kanteen, or a really great Sigg bottle that fits their personality from H2Ox2.com.  Both are reusable and will provide years of safe and healthy drinking.

Our shipments today included reusable bottles to Hawaii and Alaska.  It really made me stop and think about what this means to us at H2Ox2.com.  Several things came to mind as to why I see people buying reusable bottles.

First and foremost, the issue of getting rid of all of the unnecessary plastic disposables and the drain on our natural resources is a growing.  Every person that carries a reusable bottle is sending a message - people notice my bottles and ask me questions every day about why I carry them.  (Sometimes they get more of an answer than they bargain for…but I’m working on that!)

It’s also very fashionable to be on the cutting edge of a trend - especially when you have such a great reason to show your concern for our earth - and yourself!

It’s ECONOMICAL!  If you stop spending $5.00 a week on disposable water bottles, you could buy yourself a nice new reusable metal bottle within a month.  (And help the environment!)

So, THANK YOU to everyone who has helped get H2Ox2.com off the ground by making the choice to purchase one of our bottles that we’re so proud to sell.   We’d love for you to share your reasons for carrying a reusable water bottle - and your experience of shopping with H2Ox2.com.

Share your reasons on our blog this week and we’ll give you 10%  off the item of your choice!  (Offer ends 9/15/08)