A guide to safe plastic use

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Some of the most widely used creations from the “petroleum revolution” of the 50s and 60s are the multitude of plastics that exist in our world today. Plastics can be considered to be either the most wonderful creations of all time, or the bane of our modern existence. There’s no doubt that plastic has revolutionized the world of packaging, allowing products to be stored in cheap, airtight, disposable packages. The biggest problem? That most of this cheap packaging, once created, is here virtually forever. Plastics do not readily degrade, either in the open environment, or in landfills. Billions of plastic bags and other containers have found their way into our oceans and lakes and in many cases, have changed those environments forever (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch for an example). But all plastics are not created equal, as evidenced by the ongoing BPA saga (remember the toxic baby bottles from a couple of years ago?); here’s a summary of the most common plastics in use today, including ones that should be avoided as much as possible.

Plastics are often marked with a “resin identification” or recycling symbol consisting of a triangle of arrows with a number in the middle. Use this symbol to identify the different plastics.

#1 – SAFE: polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE): Common for bottled beverages, this is a soft, clear plastic generally considered safe. Drinks in PETE plastic should not be stored at temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, and shouldn’t be refilled or reused. These compromise the integrity of the containers, and components can then leach out into the liquid inside.

#2 – SAFE: high-density polyethylene (HDPE): A translucent to opaque plastic used for milk jugs, cosmetics containers, toys, and more, HDPE is a safe plastic for adults and children.

#3 – TOXIC: polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl): PVC is in my opinion one of the most toxic consumer materials out there. In my previous post, I discuss the reasons why it is so dangerous. Toxics leaching out of PVC include phthalates, lead, cadmium, and organotins. Chronic exposure can cause various health problems, especially in children. My wife and I make a serious effort to avoid vinyl products, and to never let our children put their hands in their mouths during and after playing with vinyl toys. The European Union has strict regulations which ban the use of the most dangerous phthalates, but these rules don’t exist here. Although it’s everywhere, just avoid PVC as much as you can.

#4 – SAFE: low-density polyethylene (LDPE): Used in grocery bags, sandwich bags, and many other things, LDPE is a stretchy, transparent to translucent plastic generally regarded as safe. Make sure your cling-wrap says “plasticizer- or phthalate-free” since commercial cling wraps (e.g. from the deli) are still usually made of PVC.

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#6 – TOXIC: polystyrene (PS): Common in styrofoam (including cups), disposable take-out containers, coffee cup lids, stir-sticks, and cutlery, PS is made from styrene, a possible human carcinogen. Styrene may leach out of PS and be ingested by you, the consumer. *update Aug-31-2010: Styrene DOES leach out of food packaging and most of the styrene that’s ingested IS absorbed by the body.

#7 – VARIABLE: This category is the catch-all for anything that’s not one of the above. Notably, polycarbonate (PC) has been in the news because it’s made from and leaches bisphenol-A (BPA) from its surface. PC is used in hard, clear plastic containers that don’t explicitly say “BPA-free”. Most containers like this made before 2009 are likely PC and leach BPA. What’s wrong with BPA? It’s a hormone disruptor linked to birth defects, cardiovascular problems, cancers, obesity, and more. And these effects are seen at lower levels than everyday people are exposed to. To avoid BPA, minimize your use of canned foods, don’t scrape food off glass jar lids, don’t buy hard containers that aren’t BPA-free, and throw out thermal cash register receipts and wash your hands ASAP. These contain unbound BPA and may be a much higher source of exposure than PC plastic.

But not all #7 plastic is bad. Polylactide (PLA) is a plant-based plastic that is non-toxic and biodegradable. So while it’s good in general to avoid #7 plastics, PLA is an exception to that rule.

Questions? Put in a comment, and I’ll be sure to reply ASAP.

AM

image courtesy of costa-freaka.blogspot.com

4 Responses to “A guide to safe plastic use”

  1. Priscilla says:

    No authoritative or regulatory body anywhere in the world classifies styrene to be a known cause of human cancer. Moreover, a study conducted by a “blue ribbon” panel of epidemiologists and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (November 2009) reports: “The evidence of human carcinogenicity of styrene is inconsistent and weak. On the basis of the available evidence, one cannot conclude that there is a causal relationship between styrene and any type of human cancer.” Further, polystyrene containers for food have been used safely for more than 50 years, having been tested and deemed safe by government agencies.

    Priscilla Briones for the Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC), Arlington, Virginia. SIRC (www.styrene.org) is a trade association representing interests of the North American styrene industry with its mission being the collection, development, analysis and communication of pertinent information on styrene.

  2. Audric says:

    Priscilla, I don’t disagree that there are more important things to worry about than styrene. However, there is a fair bit of research looking at its adverse health effects. To credit your point, most studies have used higher doses than we would ever be exposed to normally. Here’s a summary from the World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/styrene.pdf . One thing that is clear is that ingested styrene is converted in the body to styrene-7,8-oxide, a compound known to cause DNA mutations; if not repaired by our bodies, mutations like this can lead to cancer cell development. So even if styrene itself is only weakly associated with cancer, styrene-7,8-oxide is perhaps something that is more likely to be a health concern.

    Of course it’s the job of industry reps like yourself to defend their product, and I wouldn’t expect otherwise. Nowhere have I stated that styrene is a “known cause of human cancer” — I said “possible human carcinogen”, which is true. The argument that “it’s been used safely for 50 years” has been shown repeatedly to be false — look at things like DDT, asbestos, BPA, countless pesticides, and many other products that have been banned from consumer use after decades of the public being told that they were safe. The purpose of this website is to encourage people to follow the Precautionary Principle and not wait until harmful things are banned before switching to less toxic alternatives.

    So again, polystyrene is certainly not the worst thing people can use for takeout containers, but there are far better alternatives, both from a health and recycling perspective. Did I mention that polystyrene is rarely accepted by municipal recycling facilities? In most cases, it goes straight to the landfill.

    AM

  3. Lillie Thompson says:

    Our carry out dishes have a tri angle with either the number 3 or 6 on the bottoms. Please tell us Are these biodegradable?

  4. Audric says:

    Hi Lillie — those are PVC and polystyrene, both not biodegradable, and not the safest either. If they’re disposable, I’d try and find replacements made from PLA plastic (#7, but made from corn) which does biodegrade more than the others. #3 is the worst plastic of all those on the list.

    Audric

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