Safest Plastics for You and the Environment

[Unkle_John]

Safest Plastics for You and the Environment

*Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) (#1) containers are recyclable and generally considered the safest single-use plastic-bottle choice. But they are best not reused because studies indicate that after repeated use, PET containers may leach DEHP, an endocrine-disrupting phthalate and probable human carcinogen.

*High-density polyethylene (HDPE) (#2) is both durable and accepted by most curbside recycling programs. Alas, few reusable #2 containers are available.

*Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (#4), like its cousin HDPE, is a food-safe plastic, mostly used to make food wraps and plastic bags.

*Polypropylene (PP) (#5), though less recyclable, has not been shown to leach any carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. Readily available in reusable containers.

Plastics to Use with Caution

*Polycarbonate (#7) plastics, used in the popular Nalgene Lexan sports bottles and some baby bottles, contain bisphenol-A, a known hormone disruptor that may leach in some circumstances. More research is needed before any potential health risk is known. In the meantime, do not expose bottles to heat or use when visibly worn.

Plastics to Avoid

*Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (#3) releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment when manufactured or incinerated and can leach phthalates.

*Polystyrene (PS) (#6) can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen.

What To Look For

Plastic is the most widely used material in the United States, and it crops up in everything from toys to clothes to food containers. But not all plastics are created equal, particularly in regards to food storage: Some plastics can transmit chemicals into your food, while others are perfectly safe.

Before you know which type of plastic container to buy the next time you hit the store, you first need to know how to tell them apart. Plastics are typically classified by a number from #1 to #7, each number representing a different type of resin. That number is usually imprinted on the bottom of your container; flip it upside down, and you'll see a recycling triangle with the number in the middle.

Here's a quick breakdown of plastic resin types:

#1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
Product examples: Disposable soft drink and water bottles, cough-syrup bottles

#2 high density polyethylene (HDPE)/
Product examples: Milk jugs, toys, liquid detergent bottles, shampoo bottles

#3 polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)
Product examples: Meat wrap, cooking oil bottles, plumbing pipes

#4 low density polyethylene (LDPE)
Product examples: Cling wrap, grocery bags, sandwich bags

#5 polypropylene (PP)
Product examples: Syrup bottles, yogurt cups/tubs, diapers

#6 polystyrene (PS)
Product examples: Disposable coffee cups, clam-shell take-out containers

#7 other (misc.; usually polycarbonate, or PC, but also polylactide, or PLA, plastics made from renewable resources)
Product examples: Baby bottles, some reusable water bottles, stain-resistant food-storage containers, medical storage containers

Now that you know what each of the numbers represents, here are the kinds you should look for at the store:

Safer Plastics

#2HDPE, #4LDPE and #5PP

These three types of plastic are the healthiest. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they're generally recyclable; #2 is very commonly accepted by municipal recycling programs, but you may have a more difficult time finding someone to recycle your #4 and #5 containers.

#1 PET

#1 bottles and containers are fine for single use and are widely accepted by municipal recyclers. You won't find many reusable containers made from #1, but they do exist. It's also best to avoid reusing #1 plastic bottles; water and soda bottles in particular are hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.

PLA

PLA (polylactide) plastics are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and anything else with a high starch content. The starch is converted into polylactide acid (PLA). Although you can't recycle these plant-based plastics, you can compost them in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap. Most decompose in about twelve days unlike conventional plastic, which can take up to 100 years.

Plastics to Avoid

#3 PVC

#3 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is often used frequently in cling wraps for meat. However, PVC contains softeners called phthalates that interfere with hormonal development, and its manufacture and incineration release dioxin, a potent carcinogen and hormone disruptor. Vinyl chloride, the primary building block of PVC, is a known human carcinogen that also poses a threat to workers during manufacture.

#6 PS

Extruded polystyrene (#6 PS; commonly known as Styrofoam) is used in take-out containers and cups, and non-extruded PS is used in clear disposable takeout containers, disposable plastic cutlery and cups. Both forms of PS can leach styrene into food; styrene is considered a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It may also disrupt hormones or affect reproduction.

#7 PC

#7 Polycarbonate (PC) is found in baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, water-cooler bottles and the epoxy linings of tin food cans. PC is composed of a hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A, which has been linked to a wide variety of problems such as cancer and obesity.

[Unkle_John]

While plastic food wraps and containers play an important role in protecting us against the dangers of foodborne illnesses, recent studies show that when certain plastics come into contact with foods, some questionable chemicals migrate from the packaging to the foods they contain. In addition, because of the chemicals used during the manufacturing process, plastic poses threats to our environment and to the health of the workers who produce it.

Environmental Issues:

Pollution

Considering that plastics are made from non-renewable petroleum and natural gas, it's not surprising to know that plastic manufacturing is a major source of industrial pollution. Producing a 16-oz. #1 PET bottle, for instance, generates more than 100 times the toxic emissions to air and water than making the same size bottle out of glass.

The Berkeley Plastics Task Force stated in a 1996 report that the plastic industry contributed 14 percent of the most toxic industrial releases--including styrene, benzene and trichloroethane--into the air. Other major emissions from plastic production processes include sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides (both of which contribute to global warming), methanol, ethylene oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Plastics Are Forever

When the plastics we throw away escape from garbage trucks or landfills, they get blown into trees and waterways where they're eaten by animals that mistake them for food. In the North Pacific, a floating island of plastic waste the size of Texas has accumulated, doubling in size over the past six years. Some estimates place the load of plastic floating in that area, killing both birds and aquatic life, at 3 million tons.
NOTE: I have looked for images of this island, and found none. I believe what they describe as an island isn't exactly like the concept of an island that we know it. ~ U.J.

The matter is further complicated by the fact that nothing in nature, not even sunlight and oxygen, can break apart the bonds that hold plastic together, so they linger on our planet indefinitely. Rather than biodegrading, plastic photodegrades into dust, winding up in soil and in the air. In bodies of water, the plastic particles become a kind of toxic sponge, absorbing other harmful chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide DDT. Those particles then get eaten by fish, which wind up back on our dinner plates.

Recycling

Despite the problems with plastic, virtually all types can be recycled and used a few times before losing integrity (when the material has become too weak to recycle any more). However, confusing municipal recycling laws and limited access to recyclers who accept all types of plastic have kept recycling rates low and the amount of plastic waste in landfills high--and getting higher. In 2006, a mere 6.9 percent of plastic garbage we generated was recycled.

On a positive note, more stores are beginning to accept plastic bags for recycling, and other companies are offering to take back used plastic products. For instance, Styrofoam packing peanuts can be taken to any UPS store for reuse, and Stonyfield Farm accepts all its #5 PP yogurt cups and tubs back, reselling them to Preserve, a company that manufactures toothbrushes and reusable plastic dishes from the discarded cups.

Personal Health Issues:

Dioxins

Dioxins, which are highly toxic even at low doses, are produced when #3 PVC plastics are manufactured and incinerated. The EPA estimates that the average American's risk of contracting cancer from dioxin exposure may be as high as one in 1,000--1,000 times higher than the government's current "acceptable" standard of one in a million. Dioxins are also endocrine disruptors, substances that can interfere with the body's natural hormone signals, and they can damage the immune system and may affect reproduction and childhood development. Furthermore, dioxins build up in animal fat, and we may be exposed to them when drinking fatty meats, whole milk or full-fat yogurt.

Phthalates

Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses and other foods sold in delis and grocery stores are wrapped in PVC. To soften #3 PVC plastic into its flexible form, manufacturers add "plasticizers" during production. Traces of these chemicals, known as adipates and phthalates, can leak out of PVC when it comes in contact with foods, especially hot, fatty foods. Adipates and phthalates have been shown to cause birth defects and damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive systems in mice.

One phthalate, di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, according to a 2000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. Phthalates are also suspected of interfering with hormones and the reproductive development of baby boys.

Bisphenol A

Many #7 polycarbonate bottles (including baby bottles), microwave ovenware, eating utensils and plastic coatings for metal cans are made with bisphenol A (BPA). Many studies have found that BPA interferes with hormones, as phthalates do, and a March 1998 study in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) found that BPA simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer cells.

A growing number of scientists are concluding, from animal tests, that exposure to BPA in the womb raises the risk of certain cancers, hampers fertility and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity. A January 2006 EHP study on mice indicated that BPA alters the function of mouse pancreatic cells, which produce insulin, suggesting that the chemical may enhance the risk of developing Type II diabetes. Finally, an early 2007 study on BPA in rats found that it led to increased growth, suggesting that the chemical might trigger obesity.

Antimony

Not as dire a concern as BPA or phthalates, the heavy metal antimony has been found to leach out of #1 PET plastic water bottles that have been sitting on a shelf for long periods of time. High levels of antimony can cause vomiting and diarrhea, but the amount in water from a PET bottle will likely be low enough to not cause such effects. However, it's still a good idea to not reuse #1 PET bottles to avoid any potential antimony exposure.

[Unkle_John]

OK. So after reading all of this, who (like me) reuse food containers when possible?

Who just went to their cabinets and checked the numbers on the bottom?

We live in a small town that doesn't recycle. I'm trying the best I can I get something started (the school here is showing interest) here, but sometimes I see another use for these containers. Growing up, mom always reused butter (margarine) tubs for placing left overs in. I too have followed that practice and have reused them (and other plastic food containers) for food or other applications. Anyone else do this?

This may sound gross to some of you, but hear me out. We use tidy cat absorbing crystals (http://www.petsmart.com/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3759319t400.jpg). There are many reasons why we do instead of the alternative, so let's skip that. Well, JuJu changed the litter and the jug the fresh litter came in was empty. I was looking at it and realized what I could use it for. I checked the bottom of the container and hand washed it with hot soapy water, rinsed it a few time to make sure it's soap and litter "dust" free and it's currently sitting upside down drying. The "gross" part, I'm going to use it to store my cereal in. I buy cereal by the bag and the bags get torn in the process of opening. I normally use these jugs for yard applications or storing dry non-edible items in.

[Taurus]

Good information; thanks for passing it along. I read a blurb about plastics in some publication a few years ago and since then have always checked the bottoms. I know some people that microwave in plastic containers but I never have. Since they're a petroleum by-product I never trusted that it was a safe thing to do.

Before moving back up here, was living in Seattle, I checked on-line to make sure that there was a recycling center in Anchorage. They've just started curbside recycling in town - it's about time. Now more people will have to recycle. The small NJ town I lived in in the 80's had a mandatory recycling program. Up until then the kids and I would save everything and make regular trips to the recycling center in Willingboro. Family members would laugh at me when I'd casually take glass, etc. out of their trash and take it home with me to recycle.

Good luck setting up a recycling program in your area.

[Unkle_John]

Thanks Taurus!

I forgot to mention the whole microwave plastic thing too. Thanks for bringing it up.

[LIBRA]

I havent resued any plastic containers for a long time, but I used too all the time. I also dont have a microwave and I dont miss it.

I find glass containers at thrift stores and rummage sales all the time or use ball jars for storing food, left overs, herbs, whatever in.

No plastic drinking glasses, I weeded everything out, recycled all I could.

Microwaving with plastic wrap is the worst!!!

The one thing Im still not sure what to use is when I freeze stuff from the garden, ziplocks seem to work the best, I dont know what else to use. That can be stored easy, doesnt take up alot of room.

Try and avoid buying things in plastic tubs etc. Some things are only available that way but once you start looking for other options you'll be amazed what you can find.


GREAT post John!!! :heff2:

[CowboyHippy]

I have been picking up old nalgenes at yard sales this summer to use for mixing tie dye stuff.