Plastics, plastics, everywhere!!

Ever since our post on baby bottles, I've become more aware of just how much plastic is around us! And I suddenly had the urge to dispose of all the plastic products in my kitchen. But obviously that's not a very practical approach. I'm sure some plastic products are safe, or safer at least...

So how do we know what is safe and what isn't? Are the sippy cups I'm using for my kids also leaching BPA?Well, I started surfing the net like a mad woman, searching to find the answers to my questions.

Here's a good way to distinguish between the good and the bad.
Every plastic product, whether it's a cup, plate, tupperware,
bottle, bag,etc should have a symbol at the bottom which looks like the image to the right.

Safer plastics include:
#1(PETE) - usually used for small water bottles (up to 2L), ketchup, peanut butter,etc
#2(HDPE) - mainly for milk, juice, water bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, grocery, trash and retail bags
#4(LDPE) - bread and frozen food bags, squeezable bottles
#5(Polypropylene or PP) - margarine tubs, sippy cups, tupperware.

You should avoid :
#3 (V or PVC) - 2nd most commonly used plastic, used in toys!
#6 (polystyrene, PS) - foam & styrofoam - never drink coffee from styrofoam cups again!
#7 (polycarbonate and BPA) - baby bottles, many drinking cups, big water jugs ( for water coolers)

The following website offers a nice chart which summarizes all the info and lists by brand name the products as safe or unsafe.
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/pdf/plasticchart.pdf

Never microwave or heat food in plastic containers.
Try not to store fatty and acidic foods in plastic as these draw out more chemicals.
Whenever possible, choose a safer alternative, eg. glass, ceramic or paper.


Wishing you all good health,

Doc Taline