I can remember growing up in the sixties in a world which was still relatively "plastic free". Do you remember when foods were certainly packaged in glass, paper and cardboard? Do you also remember when the paper and cardboard was thicker back then? I can still remember as a boy finding at one of those "foam" cups made from polystyrene and crumbling it, it was in the late sixties, wondering what the heck it was made of! The one litre soda bottle was made from glass a long time ago, for which I got twenty cents for when I collected them from the side of the road and brought them into the angle store.
No foods were stored nor packaged in plastic, and the grocery store bags were a thick brown paper, not those flimsy plastic bags of today which you can just about "spit" through. The only toys I had as a boy which were made from plastic were those small green plastic soldiers from China, my Matchbox cars, my Triang tricycle and later on my Raleigh bike were all made from good solid British metal with minimal if any plastic parts. Back then, China was the word used for something you drank a cup of tea out of, not found on a fastener on just about everything you buy from a shop absorbing any type of plastic. Today, it is hard to find any toy which is not 100% plastic, amazing! And the scientists call it "better living straight through chemistry". I would like to believe that my great grandchildren will live in a world one day where chemistry will go green, and scientists may one day understand the serious health risks imposed on a population growing up in today's plastic world.
This narrative will focus on what a lot of population have been talking about - plastics in our foods, and in water - I take it you drink bottled water? There is no "best plastic" to consist of food or drink. It is my hope that this narrative will expound this viewpoint. By the time you've done reading, you should be closer to forming your own appraisal of plastics, and hopefully you will try to cut your exposure and use of plastics in your everyday living.
Unlike the sixties, plastic today is used in feel with nearly every single packaged food. Most cardboard drink and milk packaging are now even coated with plastic rather than wax. In many countries, a type of liquid plastic composition is even sprayed on both market and organic furnish to withhold its freshness. Yes, crazy as it may seem, but in many cases plastic is even used to irrigate, mulch, wrap, and vehicle organic foods. "Organic" bananas come from overseas South American wholesalers with a fungicide containing sticky plastic wrapping the cut stem to safe the bananas from a black mould. These so called organic bananas themselves are wrapped in a plastic as they grow to preclude fruit bats from getting to them. Did you know that whenever you eat or drink things that are stored in plastic, or if you taste it, smell it, wear it, sit on it, and so on, then that plastic certainly becomes a part you?
In fact, when any food gets into plastic - the plastic gets into the food and eventually you. So, quite literally, you are what you eat.. Drink... And breathe - plastic!
Is Plastic a Low-Dose Threat?
Plastic is everywhere in our lives because it is convenient and relatively inexpensive. It is widelt regarded and advertised as safe and that it even "saves lives". The question with plastic is that its security is based on an outdated science and flimsy regulations. And while it may saves lives in the short run, the narrative against plastic is finding quite different. Its convenience comes from being lightweight and it comes in an endless range of colors and finishes, is pliable, and is certainly formed and molded. Most would say it's a excellent material, right? But - here's where the bad news begins. It is absorbing when you think that there in the middle of 87,000 to 100,000 chemicals in market yield registered with the Chemical Abstracts assistance (Cas) registry. Of all these chemicals, only about 200 have been tested on humans, and most never on pregnant women or children.
Consider this - If you want to market a new pharmaceutical drug, you will need to convince the authorities like Medsafe or the Fda, in multiple tests over the policy of many years of clinical trials that it won't cause serious harm. If you want to sell a new sheep drench or pesticide, you will need to prove the same thing. The manufacturers have to prove the chemicals in these concoctions are "safe" and the government makes the final decision. But what if you want to market a brand new chemical, not a drug or a pesticide, just a chemical? And what if this chemical comes into feel with a young child or pregnant woman? I'm not sure about Nz, but I expect it's much the same as in America; it is up to the Environmental security division (Epa) to prove that it is unsafe, using anyone chemical data is supplied by the chemical manufacture, with small power to ask for more information. Chances are it was never certainly tested by the government at all. According to Richard Wiles, menagerial director of the non-profit Environmental Working Group in the Usa: "It's thoroughly backwards".
As bio-monitoring has improved, scientists can now detect human exposure levels of chemicals as small as one part per trillion, which is about a twentieth of a drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool. Scientists have also discovered that humans are carrying far more chemicals than previously thought. And because of this, for example, scientists have learned that some toxins are very toxic even at very low levels. Take a look at lead for example, the "safe" limit for lead (which can directly cut a person's Iq) has been lowered from 60 micrograms per deciliter (100mls) of blood down to 10 mcg.
And that discovery was only made in 1970! Now imagine for one small what kind of comprehension we will have about heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead, and not to mention all those zillions of chemicals like plastics in our blood forty years from now - in 2050. That's right, we will have a much great comprehension and will wonder how chemical manufacturers certainly got away with it all those years. great living straight through corruption, lies and corporate greed? The next global crisis may not be in terms of dollars, but chemical toxicity as we drown in our own man made chemical concoctions. Why not come to be aware of your body's burden right now and experience quarterly every year detoxification of your liver and kidneys? Try to cut the amount of exposure you have to plastic and chemicals in your life today, I'll talk more about this later.
Bisphenol-A (Bpa)
Do you drink water from those plastic water bottles? Water bottles are be made from discrete types of plastic - polycarbonate (Pc), polyethylene terephthalate (Pet), Polypropylene (Pp), high-density polyethylene (Hdpe), low-density polyethylene (Ldpe), polyvinyl chloride (Pvc or vinyl), and others. All these chemicals migrate throughout the body to some degree, let's just for now focus on just one chemical that migrates out of one plastic and that is used to make products with high use and sales profiles - Bpa.
Bisphenol-A (Bpa) is a chemical used in the manufacturing of many types plastics. It does its job well, and an improbable 2.7 million kgs are produced every year. The Big question with Bpa is that it has been found to be a known source of artificial hormones like oestrogen, and that plastics containing it can break down easily, especially when they are washed, heated or stressed in any way, allowing the chemical to leach into the food or water it is in feel with allowing it to enter the human body. Bpa has been found in the urine of 93% of population in America, and I hypothesize this figure to be the same in Australia and Nz. Bpa can mimic hormones like adrenaline and testosterone as well as oestrogen and because small amounts of these distinguished hormones can cause major biological changes, imagine for one moment what your body does when it is bombarded with plastics containing Bpa every day!
And now think what happens to a young someone whose body is still developing. Kids are particularly vulnerable to chemical Bpa toxicity because their smaller bodies are developing rapidly, and because they eat and drink more foods containing Bpa relative to their bodyweight than adults do. This is exactly what scientists have found, linking fetal Bpa in rodents to everything from cancers, genital defects and even many and discrete behavioural disorders. Could this be part of the cause of our rising epidemic of Adhd, autism, Asperger's syndrome and similar behavioural disorders? And it does not stop there. In 1998, Dr. Patricia Hunt, a geneticist in America, discovered that female mice dosed with Bpa had serious reproductive disorders. According to Dr. Hunt, you disrupt three generations with one exposure to Bpa. This is why Bpa was consequently taken out of babies drinking bottles and banned in Sweden in 2008. President Obama has just called for a 30 million dollar study into Bpa and human health. At last, at least somebody's got the brains to look beyond the plastic corporate greed. Are you still using plastic baby bottles, or heat the baby's plastic bottle in a microwave oven? You'd great not after reading this!
The list of products containing Bpa is certainly long. In the medical industry, it is used for syringes, containers, lenses, and discrete dental products. The mind blowing thing about plastic is that it is regulated only if it is in feel with foods and not any of the other exposures a someone might commonly feel every day at home, school, or the office. Because the government approves plastics for definite uses rather than for private chemicals, Bpa is therefore not regulated. I think that it is foremost to note that all exposures, no matter what origin, are cumulative. The body's natural defenses try to breakdown toxins such as Bpa as they enter. These chemicals are what we call "metabolites" and can be significantly more toxic than the customary chemical itself. Have they been tested? Yawn, not really.
In 2009, two German scientists looked at whether the migration of substances from plastic packaging material into foodstuffs contributes to human exposure to manufactured hormones. They analysed 20 brands of water- together with nine bottled in glass and nine bottled in plastic. The researchers took water samples from the bottles and thought about tested them for the proximity of any estrogenic chemicals. They then carried out a pregnancy test using New Zealand mud snails to settle the source and potency of the xeno-oestrogens (substances which look as if and act like estrogen in the body). They detected estrogen contamination in 60% of the samples (12 of the 20 brands) analysed. Specifically, 78% of the plastic bottled water showed significant hormonal activity.
By breeding the New Zealand mud snail in both plastic and glass water bottles, these researchers found more than duplicate the amount of embryos in plastic bottles compared with glass bottles. Taken together, these results demonstrate uncut contamination of water with potent manufactured estrogens that partly create from compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging material. The German authors conclude: "We have identified just the tip of the iceberg in that plastic packaging may be a major source of xeno-hormone (foreign hormone) contamination of many other edible foods. Our findings contribute an comprehension into the potential exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals due to unexpected sources of contamination." Are you still thirsty for a "plastic" drink? Try drinking out of a glass or stainless steel container. It may save you from a nasty health one day, particularly if you drink lots of bottled water.
In April 2003, a study was published about Bpa accidentally killing mice that had been held in polycarbonate cages at a lab. It was found accidentally when it ruined a lab experiment that heated yeast in plastic flasks to find out if the yeast produced any estrogen-like compounds. It was discovered that Bpa from the plastic flasks was the material that was estrogenic, and that it competed with the natural estrogen in a rat's body. When a well known researcher was asked why labs still use plastics inspecting what it has been known since 1993 that Bpa migrates and is hormonally active. The response was, "What are we supposed to do, go back to glass?" This is the state of what is still amazingly called "science", and as is usual with all too many explore scientists, the truth maybe sought, but the inescapable is pretty well trampled over in the stampede to gather that all too familiar pot of gold - the lucrative funding.
The list of negative health effects associated in some way with exposure to Bpa is disturbingly long. The most descriptive result may be a chromosome abnormality called "aneuploid", found in more than 5% of pregnancies. Most aneuploid fetuses die in utero. About one-third of all miscarriages are aneuploid, production it the foremost known cause of pregnancy loss. Exposure to Bpa has been found in increasing to growth risk of breast tumors. Being one of many known hormone disruptors, Bpa affects development, intelligence, memory, learning, and behavior, skeleton, body size and shape, significant growth in prostate size, prostate cancer, reduced sperm count, and both bodily and reasoning aspects of sexuality. It may have something to do with obesity, and so many more that a separate narrative is required to list them all. In other words, if the fetus lives, any one or many parts of its body can be constantly affected. The problems with Bpa may come to be evident at any age, and to reiterate, there is no shortage of explore published on the negative health effects of Bpa. Do you still trust that plastic bottle?
Did you Know there is a Plastic Rating System?
All plastics are rated using a amount system. comprehension what those numbers mean can help you do more than recycle, it can help them avoid risky chemicals complicated with these plastics. Patients tell me often that they are implicated about plastic in their lives, particularly the plastics containing Bisphenol A. Fortunately there are codes on the lowest of all plastics which can help the health conscientious consumer stay informed. Here is what the codes mean and a guide to which plastics should be avoided due to potential toxicity. Make sure you look underneath your plastic drink bottle, that is if you are still game to drink from one after reading this article!
Plastic # 1- Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet or Pete) Found in many single-use plastic packaging like as soft drinks bottles, mouthwashes (you don't buy this stuff, do you?), salad dressing packaging and other similar items. It is lightweight, cheap and easy to recycle. amount one plastics are thought about safe and are not known to leach chemicals, but they are not safe for reuse so never refill any container made from this plastic. Also, never heat foods in amount one plastic packaging either, never. By the way, Never leave a plastic drink bottle in the sun, this is a sure fire way to leach chemicals into your water.
Plastic # 2 - High density polyethylene (Hdpe) This plastic is used for items like those flimsy plastic milk containers, rubbish bags, margarine tubs (yuk, buy butter) and general packaging products. It is cheap, versatile and durable. It is also certainly recyclable. amount two plastic is thought about safe and isn't known to leach chemicals. But, like most plastics, it's wise to never heat food or liquid products in them. And in addition, don't place foods in them and then freeze them, especially hot foods.
Plastic # 3 - Polyvinyl chloride (V or Pvc) This plastic is used to make bottles for cleaning products, shower curtains, the heavier commerce grade plastics and the cling wraps used to wrap your delicatessen meats and cheeses. It isn't commonly recycled. amount three plastic is not safe due to a chemical used to keep it so flexible which can leach out into your food products. This plastic has di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in it, which is a potential carcinogen. It also contains chlorine and will issue risky toxins if burned. Do you still want to wrap meat and cheeses and fatty meats like chicken in cling-film? You may like to look at: http://www.envirocancer.cornell.edu/research/endocrine/videos/plastics.cfm By the way - Never buy those cooked chickens at the supermarket wrapped in cling film. You are guaranteed to be eating chicken laced with potential xeno-oestrogens (foreign chemicals mimicking oestrogen) or carcinogens. I know they taste nice and are what you like to grab after a busy day at the office, but the chicken skin is very fatty and will gladly soak up the poisons contained in the cling film. Your choice.
Plastic # 4 - Low-density polyethylene (Ldpe) This plastic can be found in things like frozen food bags, squeezable bottles like those mayonnaise or tomato sauce containers, supermarket plastic bags and even in some clothing, rug and furniture upholstery. It is flexible, durable and has many applications in industry. amount four plastic isn't known to be risky or leach any chemicals into consumer products. These types of plastic are not widely recycled but are recyclable.
Plastic # 5 - Polypropylene (Pp) This plastic can be found in items like tomato sauce bottles, plastic straws, pharmaceutical drug containers, some rug and most plastic bottle caps. It has a high melting point so it is also used for packaging that will hold hot liquid. amount five plastic is risky during yield but once made, it isn't known to leach chemicals. It is typically used in items that aren't reused and has a high melting point, which might lead to its sturdiness and reduced risk of leaching. Not every society can recycle amount five plastic. Don't burn # 5 - cancer potential, yuk.
Plastic # 6 - Polystyrene (Ps) This plastic is used for items that must be hard and withhold their shape, like those coffee cups, opaque plastic utensils as found on your next airplane flight, some toys, take-away packaging and ageement disc cases. It is also used for foam insulation. amount six plastic isn't commonly recycled and is not thought about safe by most experts. Benzene, a known carcinogen, is used during its yield and the final product contains stuff called butadiene and styrene, both suspected carcinogens. It takes a lot of power to furnish and should be avoided, so watch out for those take-away food packaging made from it. Say no to styrene, use Real plates and cups and avoid a potential cancer risk, great safe than sorry.
Plastic # 7 - Other Plastics Number seven is an open kind for any amount of plastics but often contains polycarbonate. It is often found in baby bottles, those large clear water jugs, microwave containers, and those plastic eating utensils. Very few recycling programs exist for this type of plastic. amount seven plastic is widely regarded as unsafe since it has bisphenol A, a hormone disruptor which mimics estrogen and is associated to breast cancer. This plastic is known to facilely leach this chemical out into food. Infant method and canned food has tested inescapable for biphenyl-A after being settled in metal cans lined with amount seven plastic. It's a good idea try to always avoid amount seven plastic.
Tips on Avoiding Plastic in your Life
While it's impossible to avoid all plastics in your life entirely, it is certainly potential to rid your diet and life of this toxic material as much as possible.
· Do you certainly need all those flimsy plastic bags when you go shopping? There are so many reusable bag options today. Rather than reaching for several small plastic bags in the furnish section, bring your own bags or a box. Reusable grocery bags are easier to carry and you can pack more into them than in quarterly plastic bags. I like a few study cardboard boxes, less to carry and easier to pack and unpack.
· Do you use cling film every day? Get real; your grandmother never had such an artificial "luxury".
· Do you use plastic throw away plates and cutlery, why not use "real" cutlery instead of plastic?
· Do you need to use plastic tablecloths and plastic aprons?
· Plastic shoes like cheap Crocs? Try real shoes, they'll last longer and you will look better!
· Plastic toys for your kids or the grandkids? - There are plentifulness of wooden options available.
· Plastic drink bottles? Try stainless steel or glass, easy. Avoid buying disposable plastic water bottles. Instead, use your own water bottle and refill it with filtered water or tap water. If you're implicated about using plastic bottles, opt for stainless steel or glass.
· Pack your sandwiches in wax paper or use Tupperware, which is a very safe food grade plastic, they make packaging of many dissimilar sizes. These guys make the safest plastics around.
· Bring your lunch container with you when you go out next time to get your Thai take-away. This way you'll avoid using those unnecessary plastic Chinese containers, Styrofoam or plastic boxes. I do and the guy at the Thai restaurant does not mind at all.
· Plastic baby's drink bottle? - try glass.
· Use biodegradable alternatives to plastic. There are biodegradable dog poop bags for example, and some coffee shops and cafes use biodegradable cups, utensils and containers. Products made from corn and sugar cane are easy to compost and break down over time.
· Think about the other plastic items you use daily. Pens, toothbrushes, combs and other implements can come in earth-friendly forms. Next time you're ready to toss a plastic item and buy a similar item, ask yourself if there is a better, more durable and less plastic option.
There is a huge amount of data confirming the migration of plastics and additives in all steps of food manufacturing and processing. And in my concept and that of many scientists, it is only a matter of time and money spent on new studies before the much more serious harm and more solid evidence is found. Because of the way of the corporate world, regulations resulting from studies may take many more decades yet to certainly come to be law. Look how long it took the government to act with cigarette smoking; it took many decades and millions of avoidable deaths. One day smoking will be entirely banned in any social place, you will see, and I expect it to happen in our lifetime. Don't you think it foremost to safe the health of yourself and loved ones right now from these plastics of which we know small about, before the solid rock hard "evidence" is there?
There is no doubt, ample evidence of the negative health effects of plastics already exists in enough quantity to halt the use of it in feel with all foods. More importantly, I feel that the establish of plastic itself must be halted for a multitude of reasons. Also causing an endless amount of human deaths, disabilities, and diseases, plastic is clogging all habitats of the world and destroying the ecosystem. Apparently, there is now 6 times more plastic than plankton floating colse to in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The researcher who found this, Captain Charles Moore, Director of the Algalita nautical explore Foundation, mentioned that the ratio of plastic to zooplankton is even higher in two so-called floating plastic "garbage patches" that are each bigger than the State of Texas in the ocean. Even more improbable is finding plastic bits incorporated into the flesh of the sea animals! So what are you going to do when you go shopping from now on? That's right, take your carry bags and say no to plastic.
Conclusion
You certainly don't need to be an Einstein to know that plastic shouldn't feel food. Plastics containers, bags and wraps, along with those "let's kill all those nasty germs" advertisements have come to be quite popular on Tv. But just because they advertise these items on the Tv, it does not expound their use or make them appear less harmful to the consumer.
People often ask me what the safest plastic is to microwave food in - sorry folks, plastic should never feel food, and especially the "soft" plastics with plasticizers like cling film. And in addition, you should never microwave food in general- it's worse than putting food in plastic because it creates free radicals in the food that damage cells in your body. Microwaves also heat the plastic and not just the food, thus increasing the rate of migration of the poisons into the food. However, glass, wood, metal, and pottery are the real things, although not all convenient for microwave ovens. If rescue trees is your aim, stop using so much paper, wooden and cardboard stuff. But in the mean time, don't additional degrade the environment with more plastic and microwave radiation. Use a stove, like your grandma once did. Your use of plastic in terms of food and drinks will amaze you if you focus on how much plastic you certainly cope over the policy of say a week. By being aware and production other choices you may well be avoiding many dissimilar potentially serious health associated disorders in the future.
More Plastic Than Plankton
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