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The number determines how safe the plastic may or may not be. Unfortunately, many plastics are now being linked to health problems like low birth weight, miscarriage, infertility and cancer. Hygiene risks can also occur from re-using plastic water bottles.
Plastics considered "safe for now" include plastic types #1, #2, #4 and #5, respectively: Polyethyleneterephthdate (PET/PETE), High- Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). PET is used to make soft drink, water, ketchup and salad dressing bottles as well as peanut butter, jelly, pickle, and jam jars. HDPE is used for milk, water and juice bottles, butter and margarine tubs, grocery, trash and retail bags and cereal box liners. LDPE is "not as widely recycled" as the first two and is used to make some squeezable bottles and bread and frozen food bags. PP is also not recycled as much as the first two and is considered hazardous "only during production." It is used to make some ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs.
Recent research is now claiming that PET water bottles, when used repeatedly, run the risk of leaching a potential carcinogen into the water. The carcinogen is called DEHA (di-2-ethyl-hexyl-adipate) and when "consumed in large amounts has been linked to liver and reproductive issues" and "excessive" weight loss.
"Unsafe" plastics include #3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PV or V), #6 Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS), and #7, a miscellaneous category that includes polycarbonate (PC). Polycarbonate, a plastic in the miscellaneous (and dangerous) #7 category, is used in the making of some plastic water bottles. Polycarbonate contains the particularly frightening compound Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical that can leach into water even at room temperatures. Bisphenol A is extremely toxic but is used in the making of many plastic products including baby bottles, drinking glasses, food containers, microwave ovenware, plastic utensils, lacquer lining of metal food cans, and the aforementioned plastic water bottle. The toxins from BPA can be released over time or when heating liquids in plastic containers. BPA has been called a "hormone disrupter" that mimics estrdiol, a female hormone and has subsequently been linked to breast and ovarian cancer. In a recent study the U.S. Center For Disease Control "found BPA in the urine of 95% of Americans tested."
There is also the issue of bacteria where plastic water bottles are concerned. Children who continually share plastic water bottles run serious risk of sharing bacteria which can lead to illness like diarrhea and vomiting. Frequently shared water bottles can become literal breeding grounds for bacteria. It is therefore always a good idea to "buy multiple containers for repeated use." It is also recommended that plastic water bottles left out in the sun or in a heated car be recycled rather than used again.
Smelling or tasting plastic in bottled drinking water is another definite sign the bottle needs to be recycled. Re-using a PET bottle once or twice for drinking water purposes is generally considered safe in terms of leaching chemicals.
In order to soften or stabilize plastics, toxic chemicals are often added. Since the toxins are not binding the plastic item, leaching can occur. For example, a child or dog chewing on a plastic toy that contains PVC (#3) can actually be ingesting dangerous chemicals. PVC is often found in assorted soft plastic products, shower curtains, toys, building supplies, plastic bags, soft bottles and wrappings for meat and cheese. PVC products often have an obvious smell, such as the odor from a vinyl shower curtain. This odor comes from toxic gases being emitted. A "3" or "V" underneath the recycling symbol of a plastic product indicates that the product contains PVC. If a label is not found on products like plastic wrap and assorted toys, call the manufacturer to check whether or not the product contains PVC.
It is also important to note that "when incinerated PVC forms dioxins." Dioxins are an extremely toxic group of chemicals as well as potential carcinogens that can leach into food and water. Phthalates are another chemical that can be found in PVC products, including toys, shampoo bottles, and floor coverings. This toxin makes plastic flexible but also imitates estrogen and causes skin irritation. Too much estrogen in the body is associated with breast cancer and other health problems. A recent study cited phthalates exposure as a reason for "smaller genitals in infant boys and an increase in testicular cancer in adults."
As PVC is made with chlorine the dioxins it releases have been linked to breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, hypertension, weight issues, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disease and chronic fatigue. It should also be noted that when deposited in landfills, PVC leaks into the ground and "poses significant long-term environmental threats."
Polystyrene (#6) or Styrofoam is another unsafe plastic used in takeout containers, cutlery and plastic cups. It is said to leach into fatty foods and "interfere with hormones."
Make sure to avoid using plastic wrap when reheating food in the microwave. Be smart about the plastic in your life. Read labels, replace plastic with glass or stainless steel whenever possible, and invest in a stainless steel canteen in lieu of plastic water bottles. They are much, much safer and far more environmentally friendly!
Plastic Water Bottles
by Kent McGroarty
EDGE Contributor
Thursday May 14, 2009
Plastics considered "safe for now" include plastic types #1, #2, #4 and #5, respectively: Polyethyleneterephthdate (PET/PETE), High- Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). PET is used to make soft drink, water, ketchup and salad dressing bottles as well as peanut butter, jelly, pickle, and jam jars. HDPE is used for milk, water and juice bottles, butter and margarine tubs, grocery, trash and retail bags and cereal box liners. LDPE is "not as widely recycled" as the first two and is used to make some squeezable bottles and bread and frozen food bags. PP is also not recycled as much as the first two and is considered hazardous "only during production." It is used to make some ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs.
Recent research is now claiming that PET water bottles, when used repeatedly, run the risk of leaching a potential carcinogen into the water. The carcinogen is called DEHA (di-2-ethyl-hexyl-adipate) and when "consumed in large amounts has been linked to liver and reproductive issues" and "excessive" weight loss.
"Unsafe" plastics include #3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PV or V), #6 Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS), and #7, a miscellaneous category that includes polycarbonate (PC). Polycarbonate, a plastic in the miscellaneous (and dangerous) #7 category, is used in the making of some plastic water bottles. Polycarbonate contains the particularly frightening compound Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical that can leach into water even at room temperatures. Bisphenol A is extremely toxic but is used in the making of many plastic products including baby bottles, drinking glasses, food containers, microwave ovenware, plastic utensils, lacquer lining of metal food cans, and the aforementioned plastic water bottle. The toxins from BPA can be released over time or when heating liquids in plastic containers. BPA has been called a "hormone disrupter" that mimics estrdiol, a female hormone and has subsequently been linked to breast and ovarian cancer. In a recent study the U.S. Center For Disease Control "found BPA in the urine of 95% of Americans tested."
There is also the issue of bacteria where plastic water bottles are concerned. Children who continually share plastic water bottles run serious risk of sharing bacteria which can lead to illness like diarrhea and vomiting. Frequently shared water bottles can become literal breeding grounds for bacteria. It is therefore always a good idea to "buy multiple containers for repeated use." It is also recommended that plastic water bottles left out in the sun or in a heated car be recycled rather than used again.
Smelling or tasting plastic in bottled drinking water is another definite sign the bottle needs to be recycled. Re-using a PET bottle once or twice for drinking water purposes is generally considered safe in terms of leaching chemicals.
In order to soften or stabilize plastics, toxic chemicals are often added. Since the toxins are not binding the plastic item, leaching can occur. For example, a child or dog chewing on a plastic toy that contains PVC (#3) can actually be ingesting dangerous chemicals. PVC is often found in assorted soft plastic products, shower curtains, toys, building supplies, plastic bags, soft bottles and wrappings for meat and cheese. PVC products often have an obvious smell, such as the odor from a vinyl shower curtain. This odor comes from toxic gases being emitted. A "3" or "V" underneath the recycling symbol of a plastic product indicates that the product contains PVC. If a label is not found on products like plastic wrap and assorted toys, call the manufacturer to check whether or not the product contains PVC.
It is also important to note that "when incinerated PVC forms dioxins." Dioxins are an extremely toxic group of chemicals as well as potential carcinogens that can leach into food and water. Phthalates are another chemical that can be found in PVC products, including toys, shampoo bottles, and floor coverings. This toxin makes plastic flexible but also imitates estrogen and causes skin irritation. Too much estrogen in the body is associated with breast cancer and other health problems. A recent study cited phthalates exposure as a reason for "smaller genitals in infant boys and an increase in testicular cancer in adults."
As PVC is made with chlorine the dioxins it releases have been linked to breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, hypertension, weight issues, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disease and chronic fatigue. It should also be noted that when deposited in landfills, PVC leaks into the ground and "poses significant long-term environmental threats."
Polystyrene (#6) or Styrofoam is another unsafe plastic used in takeout containers, cutlery and plastic cups. It is said to leach into fatty foods and "interfere with hormones."
Make sure to avoid using plastic wrap when reheating food in the microwave. Be smart about the plastic in your life. Read labels, replace plastic with glass or stainless steel whenever possible, and invest in a stainless steel canteen in lieu of plastic water bottles. They are much, much safer and far more environmentally friendly!
Plastic Water Bottles
by Kent McGroarty
EDGE Contributor
Thursday May 14, 2009
