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What Plastics You Should Never Use with Food

January 3, 2011

This was reblogged from Which Plastics to Never Use with Food | Care2 Healthy & Green Living by Melissa Breyer .

Although the apron-wearing, martini-bearing, housewife-in-heels with her rainbow of Tupperware may be a thing of the past, the quest for a well-organized kitchen persists. To see tidy stacks of food-filled plastic containers in the fridge and freezer is comforting in a primal kind of way. But then comes the procession of warnings about storing and cooking food in plastic, and leaching chemicals, and hormone disruption, and ACK! So here it is: The lowdown on plastic food containers.

Flip over your favorite plastic food storage container and check the recycling code number. If you spy a number 3 or 7, well, those containers should probably go to the craft room or garage to store buttons or screws rather than food. If there is no number listed, contact the manufacturer. (And to be fair to Tupperware, they do manufacture products that are not made of these plastic types.)

Number 3 is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), also known as vinyl. PVC has garnered the moniker “the toxic plastic” for the presence of DEHA–one of several plasticizers (softeners) used in its production. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, long-term DEHA exposure has the potential to cause: Reduced body weight and bone mass; damage to liver and testes; and cancer. The manufacture and incineration of PVC also releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment and food chain. Although PVC is not the most common plastic used for food storage containers, some are made from it and it is often used in plastic wrap to improve performance.

Recycling code number 7 includes several plastic types (it’s the catchall “other” category–see tips below) but it is predominantly polycarbonate. The problem with polycarbonate is that it harbors bisphenol A (BPA). Studies have shown that BPA damages the reproductive systems of lab animals by interfering with the effects of reproductive hormones and has other serious health effects. BPA’s capacity to cause these stems from its ability to mimic the human hormone estrogen–it has been linked to prostate and mammary gland cancers, early onset of puberty and reproductive-organ defects.

As might be expected, given the strength of the plastic industry, there is controversy. Although there have been more than 100 studies showing BPA to be a concern, the plastics industry says it is harmless. The FDA admits that “substances used to make plastics can leach into food,” but they maintain that the levels are safe. Safe?! Yes, leaching petroleum by-products and toxic chemicals in your food are safe–don’t worry! Now why doesn’t that sound right? If, like me, you find the FDA a rather lackadaisical regulator, why not follow these tips for safer plastic use? (There is also that little environmental issue with plastic to keep in mind.) And while some may want to skip the plastic-food relationship altogether, it is a hard habit to break. Many of these tips don’t exclude the use of plastic, but rather offer the safest options.

12 tips for safer plastic use

1. Know your plastics. Plastic items are marked with a resin identification coding system (the number surrounded by arrows), which stand for:

1 polyethyelene terephthalate (PETE)2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE)3 vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)4 low-density polyethylene (LDPE)5 polypropylene (PP)6 polystyrene (PS)7 other (includes polycarbonate, acrylic, polylactic acid, fiberglass)

2. When you need to use plastic, these are the safer choices to use with food: 1, 2, 4 and 5.

3. Learn to recognize, and then avoid, polycarbonate (number 7) for food usage. Polycarbonate plastics are hard and clear. Common items made from this BPA-containing plastic are food storage containers, baby bottles, water bottles, bowls and tableware. (And the lining inside food and drink cans, by the way.) 

4. If you don’t get rid of all of your plastic, at least retire old plastic containers, especially those that are heavily worn or scratched. Older plastics tend to leach increasing amounts of toxins as they age. Use them to organize and store non-food items.

5. Be careful of serving and storing hot foods or foods made with fats or oils in plastic containers. These foods more readily facilitate the transfer of plastic toxins.

6. Never microwave foods in plastic containers. “Microwave safe” means the container won’t melt or warp, but doesn’t mean it won’t leach. Heating plastics increases the potential for leaching of chemicals into your food.

7. Never microwave food in yogurt tubs, take-out bowls, or other one-time use containers. These containers can warp or melt, possibly causing harmful chemicals to migrate into the food.

8. Avoid using plastic sandwich bags or plastic wrap products.

9. If you must use plastic wrap, make sure it is a brand free of both BPA and PVC. Ziploc, Glad and Saran are promoted as being free of BPA and PVC–but remember that these plastics live for 1,000 years–in our landfills.

10. Avoid deli-wrap and similar generic packaging since you can’t ascertain the plastic type used. When sliced cheese and meats are sold in plastic bags and/or plastic deli wrap, transfer them as soon as possible to unbleached wax paper or a safe container.

11. Remember that if you are pregnant or nursing, BPA chemicals are passed through your bloodstream directly to your baby.

12. Instead of mixing petroleum (i.e. plastic) with your food, use inert alternatives such as glass and ceramic rather than plastic food storage containers. Reusing jars is a win-win; and you can often find glass storage containers at flea markets and thrift shops. Or simply store food in bowls covered with a plate.

Try alternatives like these:

  • Pyrex Food Storage containers
  • Crate and Barrel’s Refrigerator Dish

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-to-never-use-with-food.html#ixzz19wxlTjIh

12 Comments · Diplo Tips

Comments

  1. OCMominManila says

    January 3, 2011 at 6:31 AM

    Totally agree! I’ve been researching a lot on this and I’m now more conscious about what we keep our food in and drink from. The drinking water being delivered to most homes in those blue containers is in #7 plastic or polycarbonate and from some Harvard Medical School studies, these leach into the water and end up in the pee of the subjects. Ewww, so it does get into your system!

    Reply
  2. thediplomaticwife says

    January 3, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    Oh no!!! Serious?!?! Crap… here in Indonesia everyone has to have water delivered to them because of the water situation we’ve been talking about. How about you? Where do you get your drinking water from?

    Reply
    • OCMominManila says

      February 15, 2011 at 10:41 AM

      Here, a lot also have water delivered but we started filtering our own water because those refilling stations do the same thing – but you don’t really know if they clean the bottles well enough or if their filtration systems are actually strict enough.

      I’ll do another plastics post and link to this post, if you don’t mind =)

      Also, I hope you get the token I sent you soon so you can try it!! =)

      Reply
      • thediplomaticwife says

        February 16, 2011 at 3:25 AM

        Of course I don’t mind! I just texted A to check because he was gonna send it over last Monday but haven’t received anything yet.

        What do you use to filter your own water? Britta? We don’t have a choice but to buy filtered water here because the water is just waaaaaay to dirty in our building. =(

        Reply
  3. avatarlady says

    January 3, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Thanks for this very useful info. I’ve also heard that mineral water bottles or the mineral water itself can effeminate a man if constantly used or taken in.

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      January 3, 2011 at 10:26 AM

      I don’t know if it can “effeminate a man” but mineral water bottles should definitely not be reused. They are for one time use only – must be disposed after drinking and not be refilled. They must not be drank also if the water has been subjected to extreme temperatures (i.e. when you leave them in the car while it is parked, or freezing bottled water) as the chemicals in the plastic can leech into the water and absorbed by the body.

      Reply
    • OCMominManila says

      February 15, 2011 at 10:38 AM

      The “effeminate a man” idea I think comes from the fact that the plastics contain BPA which is a known endocrine disruptor – ie it can affect hormones, fertility, etc. I wrote a post about plastic and water here

      http://ocmominmanila.com/2011/01/18/theres-something-in-the-bottled-water/

      Reply
      • thediplomaticwife says

        February 16, 2011 at 3:19 AM

        Thanks for the link OC Mom! Would love the extra information!

        Reply

Trackbacks

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  2. OC Blogger Dinner with The Diplomatic Wife and Her Thoughts on Toxic Plastic says:
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