Foods and Drinking Water Packed in Plastics?

Things have changed in the grocery stores. Glass bottles and jars that contain food and water are being
replaced with plastic. Who could have guessed that one day we would see water in plastic bottles stacked up on store shelves. The grocery bag is lighter to carry but is the change better?

Recycling Symbols and Codes on Plastics - where are they and what do they mean to us, the consumer?

Plastics to pack and bottle our food were first used in 1947. This year three million plastic bottles will be
disposed of, in some way, in California. Plastic bottles and jars have a raised embossed symbolto aid in recycling. Look near the bottom of the bottle or turn the bottle upside down to see this symbol. A triangle of arrows with a number inside identifies the type of plastic and that number gives the information needed for the consumer to make their own judgement on whether or not they will purchase that food or drink.

What is the story? What do the numbers inside the triangle mean?

# 3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Vinyl (V)

This plastic is used to wrap some of the cheeses and meats in stores. It's possible that this plastic may
release toxic substances into food and drinks. Phthalates, found in PVC are endocrine disrupters that
interfere with the hormone system. Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) is a suspected human carcinogen.

# 6 Polystyrene (PS)

This resin is used to make plastic take-out containers, cups, some toys, foam insulation and more. PS could release styrene and butadiene, a suspected human carcinogen.

# 7 Other Plastics

These plastics are used in some re-usable water bottles, food containers, microwave ovenware, coating inside metal cans and even baby bottles. Polycarbonate bottles and containers can release the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) into stored liquids. BPA is an endocrine disrupter and can interfere with reproductive development in animals and could be linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans. The exact toxicity is still being debated.

To reduce risks:

* Buy glass!
* Don't heat food in plastics
* Use glass bottles or stainless steel for warm beverages
* Use glass jars to store flour, spices, sugar and other dry goods Glass canning jars are a good choice and can even be purchased at yard sales. So, recycling can even be accomplished here as the jars can be re-used and passed down for generations. This one thing could do away with multiple trash bags of plastic bottles carted off to flood landfills. In an earlier time, Maxwell House Coffee was only one of many products packed in standard glass jars that homemakers used to can their garden produce and many are still floating around today and are as reusable today as when they sat new and beautifully labeled on the store shelves. Some of the old ideas were a better choice.

Sources:

Potential Health Risks of Plastic Containers, Bottles and Wraps: Which plastic is safe to use.
Government of Canada (2008). Safety of Plastic Containers Commonly Found in the Home
http://www.chemicalsubstanceschimiques.gc.ca/challenge-defi/plastic_fs_e_html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/plastic_bottle
http://cawrecycles.org/whats_new/recycling_news/oct6_plasticbottles