Actually Susan, cancer rates are in decline.

Of course, we could do like Chilie did and ban the use of chorine in water purification plants. Sure, the resulting cholera outbreaks resulted in many deaths among children and other weak individuals, but at least it was a "natural" death by naturally occuring bacteria.

-Blast

On the topic of PETE, yes- truth and hype. Same way there is with BPA and eventually with nickle and chromium from stainless, it isn't enough to matter for an adult human.

And when I talk about scuzzed Nalgenes being more likely to leach, remember, it is the inside surface that is important here. Outside isn't in contact with your water, so unless you've been using it to store something like nails in or scouring it with steel wool, you'll be fine. I use mine every day, and last time I had blood work done my hormones were fine.

And they should all be hand washed. Dishwashers suck on water bottles.

Blast, actually I meant over the last 100-200 years. When the CDC says the cancer rates are down, it just probably means a lot more people have died and are no longer in the figures.

Government figures are different than what we tend to think. When they say unemployement is down, what they really mean is that more people have run out of unemployement benefits and are living under bridges.

So what's wrong with cholera? If it was good enough for our ancestors, it should be good enough for us.

Sue

Susan, as a scientist I need to point out a few things. I'm not picking on you in particular, just certian beliefs.

First, in the last 100-200 years our life spans have almost doubled. It seems whatever we are doing the good results are blowing the bad results away!

Second, the ability to diagnose cancer (and other aliments) has improved dramatically in the last 200 years so of course the number of cases will appear to increase.

Basically, the past sucked for most of mankind. Take away the what IS THOUGHT to be bad in this modern world and you lose a lot more that keeps us healthy.

-Blast

Part of what seperates us from animals is the ability to learn. We lrean that sometimes things that were accepted in the past are bad for us so we have to change our ways. Lead paint was fine in the past why not use it now, smoking was accepted in the past so why no do it now? There are many more examples like that.
Its ok though, I have to keep making the same point to my parents and my in laws. Both insist that you put infants to sleep on their stomach despite all the evidience showing thats the least safe way to do it and everything now quotes the "back to sleep" to remind you to place them on their back. They seem to forget that the infant death rate was much higher in the 60's and 70's and that things like switching from tummies to backs to sleep was something we learned since then.
If we all followed the "If it was good enough for our ancestors, it should be good enough for us" then forums like this wouldn't exist since there would be no need for new gear or techniques to learn about.