Many people are looking for ways to ensure their water is clean and safe. One effective solution is using a water distiller. But did you know that some water distillers can contain harmful chemicals? Specifically, Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a common concern. It’s found in many plastics and can leach into your water.
What is BPA and Why Avoid It?
When you drink water, it usually touches several surfaces before reaching your lips. The longer water sits in plastic containing BPA, the more BPA can leach into it, especially if the bottle gets warm (like in a hot car or garage).
Now, what makes this important is how BPA enters our system:
When you drink water containing BPA, your body absorbs this chemical. Unlike some other contaminants that your digestive system might filter out, BPA can pass through your digestive tract and enter your bloodstream. It's particularly concerning because BPA mimics estrogen, a natural hormone in our bodies. This means it can interfere with how your body's endocrine system functions.
The effects become more complex when we consider different water temperatures:
Hot water causes more BPA to leach from plastic than cold water. This is why you might have heard warnings about not reusing plastic water bottles or avoiding heating food in plastic containers. When you use a water distiller, the heating process is particularly relevant - if any parts containing BPA come into contact with hot water or steam, there's increased risk of leaching.
Why is Having a BPA-free Water Distiller Crucial?
The purified water needs to be stored somewhere. If your distiller uses components containing BPA, or if the collection container has BPA, you're essentially reintroducing contamination into your freshly purified water. It's like washing your hands and then drying them with a dirty towel.
The situation becomes even more significant when you consider temperature. During distillation, water is heated to its boiling point. When hot water or steam contacts surfaces containing BPA, the rate of BPA leaching increases dramatically. Traditional plastic components in water distillers might release more BPA during this high-temperature process than a regular water bottle sitting at room temperature.
Storage time also plays a role. Many people distill water in batches and store it for later use. If your distiller's collection container contains BPA, the longer your purified water sits in it, the more BPA can leach into the water. This is especially true if the container is exposed to heat or sunlight, like when stored on a kitchen counter near a window.
Furthermore, when you invest in a water distiller, you're likely doing so because you care deeply about water purity. You're taking an extra step beyond typical filtration methods to ensure the cleanest possible water. Using a distiller with BPA components would undermine this goal - it's like installing an advanced security system but leaving your windows open.
This is why modern water distillers, like those made by CO-Z, use BPA-free materials throughout the entire system - from the boiling chamber to the collection container. They typically employ high-grade stainless steel and BPA-free plastics to ensure your water stays pure from start to finish.
How to Choose a Safe Water Distiller
Now that you understand why BPA-free materials matter so much, let's look at what makes a truly effective water distiller.
When selecting a water distiller, several key factors ensure you get the purest water possible:
Material Quality
The boiling chamber should be made from high-grade stainless steel, not plastic. This prevents any chemical leaching during the high-temperature distillation process. The collection container should be BPA-free and food-grade certified.
Design Features
Look for a distiller with a well-designed steam chamber and cooling system. This ensures efficient distillation and prevents contamination during the condensation process. The unit should also be easy to clean and maintain.
Safety Certifications
Choose water distillers with recognized safety certifications like UL listing. These certifications confirm the unit meets strict safety standards for both electrical and material safety.
The CO-Z Water Distiller exemplifies these qualities with its food-grade stainless steel construction and BPA-free collection system. Its design ensures pure water from start to finish, with no risk of chemical leaching during the distillation process.
Storing Your Distilled Water: The Importance of BPA-free Bottles
Even the cleanest water can become contaminated if stored in bottles containing BPA. Think about the journey your water takes: from the distillation process to your glass, it might spend hours or even days in storage containers.
High-quality BPA-free bottles maintain your water's purity in several important ways. First, they prevent chemical leaching that could occur with traditional plastic bottles. Second, they're typically made from more durable materials that resist degradation over time. This means your storage solution won't break down and potentially release particles into your carefully distilled water.
When choosing storage containers for your distilled water, consider these factors:
-
Material composition (look for Tritan or high-grade stainless steel)
-
Temperature resistance (should withstand both hot and cold conditions)
-
UV protection (especially important for long-term storage)
-
Seal quality (prevents contamination from air and environment)
Frequently Asked Questions About BPA and Water Distillation
1) Does BPA-free mean no microplastics?
While BPA-free materials eliminate one specific chemical concern, they don't automatically mean zero microplastics.
Think of it this way: BPA is just one type of plastic-related chemical, while microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can come from various sources. However, water distillation provides a unique solution to both issues. During the distillation process, water turns to steam, leaving behind both BPA and microplastics in the boiling chamber. When the steam condenses back into water in a BPA-free container, you get water that's free from both contaminants.
2) Do aluminum cans have BPA?
While aluminum itself doesn't contain BPA, many aluminum cans are lined with a material that does contain BPA to prevent the metal from affecting the liquid's taste.
This lining can leach BPA into the liquid, especially when the can is heated or damaged.
This is different from modern water storage containers designed specifically to be BPA-free. When choosing water storage solutions, look for containers explicitly labeled as BPA-free and ideally made from high-grade stainless steel or certified BPA-free materials.
Conclusion
Pure water stays pure only when every step of the process, from distillation to storage, maintains that purity.
By choosing a properly designed system with high-grade stainless steel construction and BPA-free collection bottles, you ensure that your effort to purify water isn't compromised by chemical leaching or contamination during storage.
Whether you're new to water distillation or upgrading your water distiller, choosing BPA-free materials will help you achieve the clean, safe drinking water you deserve.
