Any other plastic avoiders out there?

[Shoshana]

Background Info:

In the spring of 2007 I began to read articles about Bisphenol-A, or BPA. It is a synthetic estrogen used in many types of plastics. After reading the results of the studies published to date, and the news articles, I began to rid my home of plastics.

BPA is found in the hard clear plastics, like Nalgene bottles, baby bottles, and in the lining of cans. It is also found in "microwaveable" food trays, and plastic cutting boards, among others. When the plastics are heated (like in transport, or in microwaving), when the food contains a high fat or a high liquid content, and when the plastic is abraded or scratched, the BPA seeps into the food/liquid at higher rates. The canned food industry (including soda manufacturers) have said that their is NO alternative to BPA and, to the best of my knowledge, there is no short term plan to remove it. It supposedly protects the contents of the cans against rust that might be caused if the cans were dented.

BPA is linked to estrogen disruption in laboratory animals, and results primarily in problems with the reproductive systems (including cancers, infertility, feminization of male genitalia, and early onset puberty, etc.). Approximately 96% of Americans have BPA in their bloodstreams.

A year and a half ago, a group of independent scientists decided that the government was not doing enough to inform the public about the research, so they banned together and released their own warnings. This is almost unheard of in the scientific community. Since that time, Canada has instituted a ban, and many manufacturers and retailers are searching for alternatives. There are now BPA free baby bottles. The American Chemical Association has said recently (again) that there is no risk and the FDA has been totally ineffectual offering information to the public so that we can make informed decisions.

My response:

I've continued to read about BPA in the news and have not used plastic food storage containers for a year and a half. The transition was rough, but once complete, using glass seems just as easy. I avoid canned goods to the best of my ability as almost all cans are lined with that white plastic coating -- I have found a couple of brands of canned tomato products that do not have it. I also avoid canned sodas and drink out of stainless steel water bottles.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published last Sunday the results of their tests of BPA leaching into food products. One of the culprits was the cans of plastic infant formula. I WISH I had known this when I was using BPA bottles and formula for my dd. Now it looks as if she may be at risk for precocious puberty and I am so ANGRY.

I'm angry that this information has been around for such a long time and, unless one worked at a research institute where studies were being conducted, or just stumbled upon this information (as I did but not until fairly recently), one would just go on microwaving in plastic food storage containers, using plastic wrap in the microwave, drinking healthy water but in nalgene bottles, and using products containing this chemical for our BABIES!

Honestly, my trust in OUR food supply has been seriously eroded.

Anyone else heard of this? Anyone else taking precautions?

[AuntSissy]

::gulp:::

I vaguely remember hearing that one should not use plastic dishes in one's microwave - - but was not sure why the warning was proffered...

Now, however, I am certainly going to begin using glass storage containers (my future MIL lives with me, and has scads that are 20+ years old). I reckon I should read more and educate myself, so thanks for the heads-up!

Anna

[RaineyDaye]

Thanks for the information. I had heard about certain numbers (the type on the bottom of the plastic container) being harmful, but with all the warnings of all kinds, I got confused about which plastic was bad. I have reused plastic containers in the microwave

[Shoshana]

Here's a summary of the recycling numbers. Generally 1 is safe for one time use (it is porous so it should not be reused). The other relatively "safe" numbers are 2, 4, and 5.

<1> PETE, aka PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Used for most transparent bottles, such as water, soda, cooking oil, and medicine bottles. Generally safe to use (not reuse); generally recycled.

<2> HDPE (high density polythylene) Sturdy, rigid plastic found in reusable food storage containers, milk and detergent bottles. Generally safe; generally recycled.

<3> PVC (polyvinyl chloride) Used for plastic wrap, and detergent and cooking oil bottles. Additives in PVC can increase the risk of birth defects and hormone-related cancers. Its production can be hazardous to workers and the environment. Generally not safe; not recycled.

<4> LDPE (low density polyethylene) Flexible plastic used for bags or wraps, such as produce bags and baby-bottle liners. Most number 4 plastics are not designed for reuse. Generally safe; generally not recycled.

<5> PPE, aka PP (polypropylene) Pliable plastic found in squeeze bottles, reusable food containers, and yogurt and margarine tubs. Generally safe; generally recycled.

<6> PS (polystyrene) Used in rigid take-out containers and foam meat trays. Can leach styrene when heated, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen. Not safe when heated; generally not recycled.

<7> Other; most often refers to PC (polycarbonate) This plastic is most commonly used for baby bottles, five-gallon water jugs, and reusable sports water bottles. It can leach out the hormone-disruptor bisphenol A, especially when heated. Because this group can include various other plastics, it has limited recycling potential.

BPA isn't the only issue with plastics, it's just the latest one to hit the news and the one that I've personally used to motivate myself to change my behaviors. Information about pthalates and styrene have been around for ages.

I don't think I ever microwaved plastic (except for the single-use frozen food meals which I haven't eaten in eons). When microwaves first became common in homes (I think I was a kid), I was very suspicious of them and in my research learned that they heat by "rearranging the molecules" in the foods. I assumed that this meant that the molecules in plastic would be rearranged as well, and I thought that was gross!

[Palooka]

Thanks for this info. I can think of how many times in the past I microwaved plastic and we use to freeze our water bottles and reuse them. I try not to use that much plastic because of the warnings I have heard.

Wow, I didn't know that about frozen food in the containers that we buy that we microwave. That was my dinner tonight. lol But I never really thought about that before and it makes sense.

I always used the baby bottle liners instead of the plastic bottles. So if I understand did it say that was safer if not reused?

I have heard of a lot of people that do not want microwaves in their homes.

Good info.

[MoonMommy]

I only use it to store the food in, I know that isn't even the best. If I am going to heat or reheat something, I only used glass/ceramic dishware.

[IntlMom]

thanks for the info....I was kinda aware of it, but scary to see it all spelled out~

[winner]

Thank you for the info, I will re-heat in glass or ceramic dishes from now on.

[The Muse]

Does anyone know where to get reasonably priced glass storage containers? I'd like to get rid of most of my plastic, but have not seen a reasonably priced glass alternative.

[shoiji]

I have been using mason jars to store food in. I still use plastic but make sure any food is completely cool before storing in plastic. Anything re-heated is in ceramic or pyrex type dish. Pie dishes are great when heating up a meal.

Before I was microwaving in pretty much anything plastic. I did get rid of the plastic cups I had, and went with glass. Can't tell you how many times I had hot coffee or tea in them.

You are right about it being frustrating that the information has taken so long to get out. When plastic items were first coming out everyone thought it was great since glass and ceramic broke so easily. I wonder if thousands of years from now if our dump sites will be used for a different type of fuel. Or if some types of plastic will still be as good as new in the dump site. Wonder what the environmentalists will be saying about us then?

[kestrel91316]

Wide-mouth mason jars are perfect for storing leftovers. You can get the plastic lids for them from Lehman's or elsewhere online. I use them more for storing misc stuff in my pantry than I do for actual canning, lol. I have dozens.

I am trying to eliminate plastics from my kitchen to the greatest extent possible. Sort of like my anti-hydrogenated fats campaign over the past ten years.

[RetiredVeryEarly]

I am another plastic avoider! I also read a huge story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about BPA this year. I don't get the paper but sometimes a friend is out of town and we pick up her paper, and I was sure glad I read about that. I had known not to microwave things in plastic previously. We do a lot of canning and have lots of glass jars of all sizes in our house, plus a lot of glass casserole dishes and the like. We do almost all of our cooking in iron skillets and glass Visions pots, so that is good, too. We don't microwave much anyway.

I worry about my water bottles sometimes, but still carry plastic ones around most of the time that I fill with tap water. I have some hard plastic kind I should probably switch to.

[MRAHoffman]

being a 3 year breast cancer survivor, I have come to realize that "progress" has only set us back (it just seems that everything that has been developed in the last 100 years to "make our lives easier" have only made us "lazier" to the point that houseWORK that used to keep our mothers trim has become so much easier that we have become overweight (I STILL get on my hands and knees and wash my floors), the "ready made food" that was was supposed to give us more "free time" you can not only NOT pronounce what is in it, but has taken that "free time" and only made us compelled to "fill that time up" with 5 bazillion "structured" activities for our kids to the point that they don't have any "free" play time. And plastics...I'm like you, I got rid of all our plastic cups and use only glass and stainless steel mugs as well as use glass serving containers and NEVER heat in plastic (while others at work put their Rubbermaid in the microwave to warm up their leftovers, I first put it on a plate I keep and THEN warm it up...but I mainly eat salads for lunch, so this is a RARE occurance...but, boy do I get some strange looks, but who cares). When I was first diagnosed, my surgeon said he feels that MANY cancer causes are environmental, that is why I am taking ALL steps to never see it again. Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[thriftstorequeen]

Great post! I use glass too! Been doing so for about six months now. I use jars and bowls with plates on top to store in fridge. You can freeze stuff in jars. I do it all the time. I like the tip about using visions glassware and cast iron. I will keeping an eye out for this in the thriftstore. I stopped re-using baggies about six months ago too! I use them sparingly now, but only once. I use waxed paper to wrap stuff. Has anyone heard anything bad about that? By the way I started taking a mason jar filled with water with me instead of a plastic water bottle. It works fine! Besides my hubby is a glass factory worker and this helps to keep them in business.

[my4cubbies]

I avoid plastics as well. We recycled all of our plastic cups (except for a few BPA free sippy cups for the baby) and all of our plastic storage containers. We mostly use mason jars to store leftovers in. We also use them as cups. LOL. We started going to garage/estate sales over the summer to find as many glass or ceramic containers as possible.