Plastic
Plastics are synthetic or natural organic materials of many type and are used in place of other materials, as glass, wood, and metals, in construction and decoration, for making many articles, as coatings, and, drawn into filaments, for weaving. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances.Plastics leach chemicals into food and beverages.
Some two categories of plastics. A thermoset solidifies irreversibly when heated and are useful for their durability and are primarily used in automobiles and construction applications. A thermoplastic softens when exposed to heat and returns to original condition at room temperature, they can easily be shaped and molded into products such as container jugs, floor coverings, and carpet fibers.
According to the Environmental Health Perspectives Journal published an article that raised serious questions about low dosage exposure to bisphenol A - a chemical found in plastics and in the lining of canned food and drinks - and urged more in-depth studies.
The article examined 115 studies; the 11 studies funded by the chemical industry found no harm from low dosages of bisphenol A, while 98 non-industry studies had starkly different results, linking exposure to reproductive problems, obesity, early maturation and hyper activity. Since it appears research science is trying to catch up to the many advances in plastic, we'd recommend erring on the side of caution.
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[edit] Minimize Exposure to Toxic Plastic
- Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby.
- Use glass of ceramic instead of plastic whenever possible. Consider metal water bottles.
- Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones.
- Prepare or store food, especially hot foods and liquids, in glass, porcelain, or stainless steel dishes or containers.
- If you choose to use a microwave, don't microwave food in a plastic container. And never microwave anything covered in plastic wrap even if it is labeled "microwave safe".
- Polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods. Never microwave food in polystyrene containers.
- Avoid using plastic made with the No. 3 recycling symbol (PVC or V). Polyvinyl chloride is another toxic plastic used for cling wrap, some plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles.
Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is the least recyclable plastic and poses risks to both the environment and human health. PVC contains chlorine, so its manufacture can release highly dangerous dioxins. If you must cook with PVC, don't let the plastic touch the food. Never burn PVC, because it releases toxins.
[edit] Understanding Recycling Symbols
SPI' Resin identification coding system for plastic, represented by the numbers on the bottom of plastic containers were consumers can then use this information to determine whether or not certain plastic types are collected for recycling in their area.
The following relatively safer to use those with recycling symbols.
- Type 1 - Polyethylene terephtalate (PETE)
- Type 2 - High density polythylene(HDPE)
- Type 4 - Low density polythylene(LDPE)
- Type 5 - Polypropylene (PP)
Water bottles from No. 1 and 2 are recommended for single use only.
[edit] What to do?
- Identify all the plastic that you use to store food or beverages. Recycle it. BPA should be identified with a 7 on the bottom of your containers in the triangle - however, not all 7's have BPA. Regardless, recycle all the plastic that holds anything you are going to ingest.
- Figure out what food storage you need, and replace it with glass or stainless steel alternatives. You can recycle used jam and preserve jars, which is smart and thrifty. You probably already have sets of ceramic or stainless mixing bowls, which do the trick. Get a set if you don't have any. If you pack lunch (which you should, since you are becoming a healthy eater), you will need a glass or metal lunch box.
- As for beverages, you may need to replace water bottles with glass, steel, or aluminum. While you're at home, use glass and recycle all those plastic cups you have with the names of sports teams on the sides. See this post for bottle alternatives.
- If you are using plastic baby bottles, replace with PBA-free bottles immediately. Dr. Brown's makes 3.5 oz. glass bottles. My discerning friend Suzi likes Dr. Brown's bPA free polypropolene since she finds glass to be too heavy. She likes the 4 oz. version, but there is also an 8 oz. version. Replace plastic sippy cups with metal.
- Cut down on your canned food use. BPA is in nearly all the linings of canned food. There are a few canned goods that have BPA-free liners, and these will be marked. While I am still going to use canned tomatoes, I am going to be more mindful about fresh alternatives whenever possible.
- A lot of take-out and prepared food comes in plastic containers. Don't put them in the microwave, and after you're finished with them, don't store food items in them.
- Don't buy water in plastic bottles; not only is this habit wasteful, but there's no evidence that bottled water is any safer overall than tap water. Single-use water bottles can also be havens for bacteria if you refill and reuse them. Many reusable plastic water bottles are made of polycarbonate, so to reduce possible leaching, do not fill them with warm or hot liquids, and recycle old or scratched bottles. Your safest bet is probably a refillable metal water bottle.
- Avoid any type of plastic in your kitchen whenever possible. Food packaged in plastic should be rewrapped in parchment or stored in glass or ceramic containers.
- Choose goods with minimal packaging, and which are packaged in a material that can be recycled or returned in your area.
- Think of ways of reducing the need for packaging. Don't add extra packaging yourself - a melon, a grapefruit or a bunch of bananas already has natural packaging - does it need to go in a plastic bag as well as your shopping bag, and does that already efficiently packaged dairy product or piece of meat really need another wrapper?
- Buy your meat at a local butcher shop. In addition to supporting local business, you don't buy in to that thick plastic container the supermarkets love, and you don't have to deal with that awful diaper they make your raw chicken wear.
- Use degradable plastic and bio-plastic where possible
- Buy eggs in cardboard, rather than styrofoam containers. Styrofoam takes 500 years or more to biodegrade.
- Reusing plastic is preferable to recycling as it uses less energy and fewer resources. Long life, multi-trip plastics packaging has become more widespread in recent years, replacing less durable and single-trip alternatives, so reducing waste.
- Buy products that are refillable.
- Re-use the bags inside cereal boxes for wrapping sandwiches or meat in the freezer.
- Try to reduce the need to throw away plastics. For example, take a reusable shopping bag to the supermarket or corner shop, or re-use the bags you were given last time. Don't accept a bag if you don't need one. When they are beyond reuse, plastic carrier bags can be put into collection banks at some Safeways, Tesco and Sainsbury's supermarkets. You can also put in other plastic bags such as bread bags, fruit/ veg bags and some other packaging e.g. that you get on electrical goods.
- Rather than throwing them away, give plastic toys or containers to children's scrap stores or playgroups for reuse.
- Look for products, e.g. bin liners and refuse sacks, made from recycled plastic, now available in many supermarkets. Also look out for products packaged in at least partially recycled material.
