To understand how much plastic we are using every day, we would have to try and cut it out completely. Considering that it is found in food wrapping, lining of tins, water bottles, salad dressing bottles, detergent bottles, cooking oil bottles, shampoo bottles, mouth wash bottles, meat wraps, drinking straws, meat trays, foam take-away food containers & cups, as well as babies’ teething rings, pacifiers, nipples and toys, personal care products and many other items, the task becomes virtually impossible.

So what is wrong with plastic?

Chemicals used in plastic can act to harden or soften plastic, depending on its use. The substances of particular concern are phtalates and bisphenol-A, which mimic hormones in your body.

Even small amounts can cause problems, and according to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study, BPA was detected in the urine of 95 percent of people tested in the U.S.!

Here are some of the issues these substances have been linked to (Mercola, 2009):

• Structural damage to your brain
• Hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, and impaired learning
• Increased fat formation and risk of obesity
• Altered immune function
• Early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles, and ovarian dysfunction
• Changes in gender-specific behavior, and abnormal sexual behavior
• Stimulation of prostate cancer cells
• Increased prostate size, and decreased sperm production

The number at the bottom of a plastic product is usually a good indicator as to what type of plastic an item is made of (source):

No 1, PET: Polyethylene Terephthalate

• Used for: Soda Bottles, Water Bottles, Peanut Butter Jars, Cooking Oil Bottles
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: Acetaldehyde

No.2, HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene

• Used for: Milk Jugs, Detergent bottles, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: Antioxidants, BHT, Chimassorb 81, Irganox PS 800, Irganix 1076, Irganox 1010

No.3, PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride

• Used for: Water Bottles, Salad Dressing Bottles, Detergent Bottles, Cooking Oil Bottles, Shampoo Bottles, Mouth Wash Bottles, Meat Wrap, Also: Babies’ Teething Rings, Pacifiers, Nipples and Toys (Barbie for example).
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: Plasticizers (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Phthalates and the carcinogen, Diethyl Hexyphosphate)

No.4, LDPE: Low-Density Polyethylene

• Used for: Produce Bags, Food Storage Containers
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: Antioxidants, BHT, Chimassorb 81, Irganox PS 800, Irganix 1076, Irganox 1010

No.5, PP: Polypropylene

• Used for: Bottle Caps, Drinking Straws
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: BHT, Chimassorb 81, Irganox PS 800, Irganix 1076, Irganox 1010

No.6, PS: Polystyrene

• Used for: Meat Trays, Foam Take-Out Food Containers & Cups (not in Berkeley!), Foam Packing Materials
• What migrates from plastic container to contents: Styrene (traces found in nearly everyone’s body fat)

No. 7, Other

• Used for: Laminated Containers requiring properties of more than one type of resin, water bottles, 'bullet-proof' materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon.
• What migrates from plastic container to contents depends on plastics used e.g. Polycarbonate, leaches Bisphenol-A

Avoid storing food in plastic and use glass instead. For water use either Safe-T bottles, glass or good quality stainless steel bottles.