Are you aware that the majority of reusable water bottles contain unseen contaminants? The startling fact that lead is still present in practically all insulated bottles on the market is revealed in our headline. Continue reading to learn why it is so startling, where the lead is, and why we are happy to be among the few brands of lead-free bottles on the planet!

Nearly all insulated water bottles on the market still use solder that is based on lead. The substance used to seal the vacuum layer within your steel water bottles is called solder. Every insulated stainless steel water bottle has it at the base. This substance melts to seal the vacuum layer to the insulated bottle during the process.

Lead-based solder is currently the industry standard for insulated water bottles. It is an affordable, simple solution, but it has a price!

Why is this a terrible thing?

Both humans and the environment are poisoned by lead. The EU forbids the use of this type of lead solder for electronics and personal usage due to lead's toxicity. Unfortunately, water bottles have evaded this kind of legislation. This implies that every day when they touch the tiny balls of lead solder throughout the production process, the workers creating your reusable water bottle are coming into contact with this lead.

Customers typically have this sealing dot covered in some way when using their water bottles to prevent them from being exposed to this lead. This can be achieved by painting the base, attaching a metal or silicone cover disc to the vessel bottom, or using a contoured cap that covers the base (keep an eye out for a horizontal weld line at a bottle's base). But, minute amounts of lead from the solder may wind up on the product surfaces during the vacuum process. For this reason, you should always give these bottles a thorough cleaning before using them for the first time.

There aren't many businesses making lead-free solder for insulated bottles or travel mugs. For what reason is that the case?

Although lead-free solder is an option, using it comes at a much greater cost, which translates to a far higher unit cost per bottle. Why does using lead-free solder cost extra?

The solder itself is more costly—more than three times as much as regular lead solder—and special ovens are required to generate the vacuum. This is due to the fact that even if the solder you are using is lead-free, lead will still be present in the oven and on the product if the oven has been used for items that use normal solder, which contains lead.