BPA-Free Plastic Is Toxic, Too. Here are Some Good Alternatives

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bpa-free-is-toxic-too.html

I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since I first learned about the dangers of

BPA (bisphenol-A) a few years back. So when I saw this eye-opening Mother Jones article, The

Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics pop up in my Facebook feed a couple of days ago, I

could practically hear the thud of footwear falling from the sky…

According to research by neurobiology professor George Bittner and his team at CertiChem, many

BPA-free plastics are just as bad for us as the BPA-laden kind, and possibly worse, in some

cases. The endocrine disruptors in most plastics have far-ranging effects that not only make us sick,

infertile and genetically wacky but they also mess up our children (assuming you overcome the

infertility problems) and our children’s children and our children’s children’s children and, well, you

get the idea, right?

Perhaps even more disturbing, companies are not required to determine their level of toxicity before

releasing them for sale and marketing them as “safe and non-toxic.”

So if you haven’t already recycled your plastic water bottles, sippy cups, straw cups and

baby bottles, now is the time! But what should you use instead? Here are some good, non-toxic

alternatives to consider. I’m not a scientist or even an expert on plastics or toxicity, but I have done a

lot of research lately and here is what I’ve learned:

1. Try to avoid plastic at all costs. Just because a plastic is touted as BPA- and phtalate-free does

not mean it’s actually non-toxic (though, clearly, anything which doesn’t address those two well-

known toxins should also be a red-flag.)

2. If plastic can’t be avoided altogether, the safest type (meaning the most stable, slowest to

degrade and leech chemicals into your water, food, etc.) is silicone.

3. Glass is the safest material since it does not leech at all.

4. Stainless steel is pretty good as it is a relatively inert metal but there is some transfer of elements

which can be an issue for people with allergies to nickel. More info on stainless steel here.

5. There is no perfect water bottle, baby bottle, sippy cup, straw cup or insulated mug out there, but

there are a lot of good options!

Here is a little summary of the bottles I’ve tried personally in case it’s helpful as you shop around for

your replacements:

We got rid of our Nalgene’s back in 2008 when the news broke about BPA’s badness and invested

in a couple of Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles  that we’re still happily using. They come in

a bunch of different sizes (12-, 18-, 27- and 40-ounce) and with a bunch of different tops (sport, cafe,

etc.) They also introduced an insulated wide-mouth bottle  recently.

We ditched all our plastic baby bottles a few years ago in favor of Born Free’s sturdy, glass bottles  

with silicone nipples. I would only use glass for the babies since you often heat the bottle up before a

feeding and we know heat and plastic is a bad combo. They come in two sizes (5- and 9-ounces)

and they now offer a silicone sleeve to improve your and/or baby’s grip (though it’s never been an

issue for us.)

We’ve got some stainless steel Klean Kanteen sippy cups  in the mix, which we like a lot. They are

not, however, a great choice for the kids at school since they do leak if they’re not kept upright. I

recently bought a sport cap for my son’s 12-ounce Kleen Kanteen (the 3.0 version has a silicone

mouth piece unlike the older versions though the rest of the top is still plastic), and I think that it will

probably work well as the water bottle I pack in his lunch.

We also have a couple of the Pura Kiki

stainless steel bottles  with silicone sippy spouts below that I got after reading tons and tons of

reviews a few months back. The kids love these – they’re a good width for smaller hands, the bottles

are light and the mouth pieces are comfortable. They have nipple attachments for babies (though I

would definitely prefer glass since you may be heating a baby’s bottle and it’s just safer than metal)

and two levels of flow sippy attachments for toddlers and kids, you can also get a silicone sleeve to

go over the top to catch some of the leaks or buy a silicone sealing disc  to use them to store food or

liquids.

We use the Pura Kikis  in the house but they have the same issue as the Kleen Kanteens – they leak

if they’re not held upright and I’m looking for something leak-proof to send to school in a lunch box.

I have one Lifefactory glass bottles with a flip cap  that I like a lot. The sleeve gives you a good grip

on the bottle and the flip top with the carrying handle is definitely an improvement over the plain

bottle which has a very wide mouth and led me to spill water down my front a few times while

drinking and driving.

But I feel it’s still a little heavy and a bit too breakable for my almost 5-year-old son at this point. In a

few years, it will probably be perfect for him, though.

Takeya also makes some very nice glass water bottles with silicone sleeves  that help improve

durability and minimize slippage and breakage. Their 12 ounce bottle is a more kid-friendly size than

the adult-sized, 22-ounce Life Factory bottle, too. We don’t have any of these but I have read

positive reviews and got the thumbs up from my friend, Gideon, whose daughter loves hers.

If you want even more options, check out the great selection at MightyNest – a company that takes

non-toxic seriously. And from now until March 19th, I’m running a giveaway with MightyNest on

my blog, The Garden of Eating – visit the post and sign the plastic-free pledge to enter to win

$100 in safe and non-toxic water bottles and food storage containers.

Do you have other favorite alternatives to add to the comments?

Recycle your plastic now. You won’t regret it.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/bpa-free-is-toxic-too.html#ixzz3TZQ0RGhI

How To Recognize the Plastics That Are Hazardous To Your Healthhttp://io9.com/how-to-recognize-the-plastics-that-are-hazardous-to-you-461587850

By George Dvorsky and Joseph Bennington-Castro. The chemicals

contained in plastics can be quite harmful. But given that "plastic" can

mean a wide variety of substances, it's difficult to know which ones are bad

for us. Here’s everything you need to know about plastic and an its impact

on your health.

Manufacturers often add different chemicals to plastics to give them the

exact characteristics they’re looking for, like flexibility, strength, and

reduced production cost. These components can include phthalates,

bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and

tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) — all of which alter hormone expression in

nonhuman animals and humans.

These chemicals are known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs),

and each affects different elements of hormone disruption (e.g. inducing

estrogen-like activity, thyroid hormone homeostasis disruption, anti-

androgens, and so on). Also, some chemicals are made ofmonomers, which

have known mutation-inducing and cancer-causing qualities. And yet other

compounds contain toxic metals.

These chemicals can enter the human body in any number of ways and at

dramatically different levels. Many of them seep into the environment

during the production process or as waste. They enter our waterways and

other areas where they eventually make contact with humans.

Frustratingly, these sorts of interactions are (largely) beyond our control, so

for the purposes of this discussion we’re going to focus solely on the

plastics that are used to store and deliver food, drink, medicines, and

anything else that can be directly and consciously ingested (including

plastic toys, because babies and infants like to suck on them).

Thankfully, there is a classification system, called the Resin Identification

Code, that describes the type of plastic resin used to make a container or

bottle. Most containers and packages should have a number printed on it, a

series ranging from one to seven.

In our analysis, we’ve included links to published studies showing the

potential risks associated with each plastic type. Where possible, we’ve

made note of which studies involve nonhuman animal test subjects, and

when toxicity levels fall below dangerous levels. You should interpret and

use this information in a way that satisfies you.

Alright, here’s what you need to know about the different types of plastics:

Plastic #1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

These plastics are typically used to hold soft drinks, water, juice, sports

drinks, beer, mouthwash, ketchup, and salad dressing. They’re also used as

containers for peanut butter, jelly, jam, and pickles. This type is also used in

oven-friendly film and microwavable food trays.

This plastic is considered to be safe, but there are some issues to be aware

of.

The primary problem is that antimony, a metalloid element with toxic

qualities, leaches from PET. The rate of leakage increases with

temperature. Normally, the amount of antimony that seeps into liquid is

well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum

contaminant level. But that assumes the container stays at room

temperature.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), antimony can cause

acute and chronic health issues, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach

ulcers.

Studies indicate that storage of these bottles at extended periods of time,

and at increased temperatures, can result in unhealthy amounts of

antimony. For example, a bottle stored at 60 degrees C for 176 days will

yield unhealthy levels (maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 6 ppb), as

would a bottle stored at 85 degrees C for just 1.3 days. These are very

reasonable temperatures, and could typically be reached in warm garages

or cars in the summertime.

Three years ago, a study showed that microwaving can significantly

increase the rate at which antimony leaches into PET bottles. The authors

recommended that plastic bottle manufacturers wash bottles before first

use to remove metal contaminants like antimony.

And in 2012, a study indicated that, in addition to antimony, brominated

compounds can also leach into PET bottles. Bromine, a naturally occurring

element that is a liquid at room temperature, can irritate the skin, mucous

membranes, and tissues. But it’s not clear from the study if the

concentrations of leaked bromine are at dangerous levels.

Plastic #2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

This plastic is used to bottle milk, water, juice, cosmetics, shampoo, dish

and laundry detergents and, household cleaners. Bags for groceries and

cereal box liners are also made out of the stuff.

HDPE is considered a low hazard plastic.

But, as a 2011 study pointed out, most plastic products release estrogenic

chemicals — including HDPE. Chemicals having estrogenic activity (EA) are

suspected to cause health problems, especially at low doses in fetal and

juvenile mammals. EA exposure has been shown to alter the structure of

human cells, posing potential risks to infants and children. As the authors

pointed out, “all commercially available plastic items would leach

detectable amounts of chemicals having EA once such items are exposed to

boiling water, sunlight (UV), and/or microwaving." [emphasis added]

It’s worth noting that, as NPR pointed out, The “study doesn't look at health

risks. It simply asks whether common plastic products release estrogen-like

chemicals other than BPA."

Plastic #3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

This versatile plastic can be rigid or flexible, and it’s commonly used in the

production of blister packs and clamshells (for storing pills, for example).

It’s used to make bags for bedding, shrink wrap, deli and meat wrap, and

tamper resistant lids.

And it’s the first of the bad ones.

A Swedish study from 2008 found that plasticized PVC — which can be used

to make artificial leather, bath tub toys, inflatable bathing rings and table

cloths — and polyurethane — to make artificial leather, floor coating and

children's handbags — all leach toxic chemicals into water. The study didn’t

assess the impacts of these chemicals on humans, instead chronicling its

impacts on the Daphnia magna flea and the length of time it was rendered

incapacitated.

That said, an investigation into two types of phthalates, which are used as a

plastic softener for PVC, has shown an association with asthma in children.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) is used widely in consumer products,

including plastics, vinyl flooring, and personal care products. DEHP is a

highly soluble compound that is loosely chemically bonded to plastic and

leaches into blood or other lipid-containing solutions that come in contact

with the plastic.

A separate study corroborates this research, stating that, “Phthalates from

polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics may have adverse effects on airways and

immunologic systems,” but noted that “[t]he lack of objective exposure

information limits the epidemiologic data.” Meaning that more work needs

to be done testing humans.

And a study from last year showed a link between phthalates and female

fertility in mice.

You can read more about DEHP and how we’re exposed to it here. It’s worth

noting that DEHP is among the first six compounds that the EU is phasing

out under its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization & Restriction of

Chemical substances (REACH) program.

Plastic #4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

These plastics are found in bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen

foods, fresh produce, and household garbage.

They’re used in shrink wrap, coatings for paper milk cartons and hot and

cold beverage cups.

LDPE is used to make container lids, toys, and squeezable bottles (like

honey and mustard).

LDPE is considered a low hazard plastic.

Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)

PP is used to make containers for yogurt, margarine, takeout meals, and

deli foods.

They’re also found in medicine bottles, bottle caps and closures, and bottles

for ketchup and syrup.

PP is considered a safe plastic.

Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)

Sometimes called Styrofoam, this is a plastic that’s commonly found in food

service items like cups, plates, bowls, cutlery, hinged take out containers

(clamshells), meat and poultry trays, and rigid food containers (e.g. yogurt),

and aspirin bottles. Polystyrene is also used to make protective foam

packaging for furniture.

This is another plastic you’ll want to avoid.

A fundamental problem is that styrene can leach from polystyrene. Styrene

has been linked to cancer, but the Environmental Protection Agency has not

given it a formal carcinogen classification. That said, the EPA admits

there’s an association to an increased risk of leukemia and

lymphoma (among other things). Other studies show that styrene can act as

a neurotoxin in the long term. Studies on animals report harmful effects of

styrene on red-blood cells, the liver, kidney, and stomach organs. That said,

most styrene concerns don't appear to come from polystyrene.

The NIHL lists styrene as a probable carcinogen, but says that the styrene

leached from polystyrene food containers are at "very low" levels. It also

notes that styrene is known to cause lung tumors in mice.

A 2007 study   showed that, in Styrofoam and PS cups, “hot water was found

to be contaminated with styrene and other aromatic compounds.”

Temperature was shown to play a major role in the leaching of styrene. But

whether or not styrene leaches into food and water from polystyrene at

dangerous levels is a claim that’s still contested. But as the 2007 study

concludes, “Considering the toxic characteristic of styrene and leaching in

water and other products, PS material should be avoided for food

packaging."

You can also read the CDC's official statement on styrene  here .

Plastic #7: Other

Last but certainly not least, we have the nastiest one of all, Plastic #7.

It’s a kind of catch-all designation that describes packages made of a resin

other than the six standard types. It’s also used to describe plastics made

from any combination of the standard six plus other resin types.

These plastics are used to make such things as three- and five-gallon

reusable water bottles, including some citrus juice and ketchup bottles. It’s

also used to make oven-baking bags, barrier layers, and custom packaging.

Obviously, it’s difficult to pin down the health risks for such an unspecified

category, but the most significant issue with this class of plastics is the

hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Some bottles, including

baby bottles, are made of polycarbonate plastic, a polymer made with BPA.

Just one week of polycarbonate plastic use can increase urinary BPA

concentration by two-thirds. And indeed, BPA is ubiquitous; it may be

present in as many as 95% of adults.

A quick summary of the health risks associated with BPA include

reproductive abnormalities like lower sperm counts, hormonal changes,

enlarged prostate glands, asthma, abnormalities in the number of

chromosomes in eggs, and pre-cancerous changes in the breast and

prostate (at least in mice). It’s also been linked to obesity and insulin

resistance.

There are also epigenetic factors to consider. BPA suppresses the

expression of a gene that's vital to nerve cell function and to the

development of the central nervous system. It may also predispose both

animals and humans to neurodevelopmental disorders, autism included.

Read the label!

So very quickly, you should avoid any plastic designated #7, #3, and #6.

Plastics that are safe, or at least relatively so, are #1, #2, #4, and #5. In

terms of the specific plastics themselves, the most hazardous are

polyurethanes, PVC, and styrenic copolymers.

But as noted, all plastics contain a certain amount of nastiness, even if at

levels deemed safe by scientists. A good rule of thumb, therefore, would be

to minimize the use of plastics when storing and delivering food and drink.

In its place, use glass, metal, wood, or paper (like paper cups in place of

Styrofoam).

Sources not cited: American Chemistry Council; "Components of plastic:

experimental studies in animals and relevance for human health";

"Environmental and health hazard ranking and assessment of plastic

polymers based on chemical composition."

Image: Monticello/Shutterstock.

Chemicals in Plastics

Plastic is everywhere—it's used in consumer products and packaging of all kinds. And while it solves a lot of problems for manufacturers and can seem convenient to consumers, there are also serious risks to human health and the environment from its widespread use.

Three plastics have been shown to leach toxic chemicals when heated, worn or put under pressure: polycarbonate, which leaches bisphenol A; polystyrene, which leaches styrene; and PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, which break down into vinyl chloride and sometimes contains phthalates that can leach.

And for more specific information about these and other chemicals found in plastics, including what they do and why they're bad for you, look below.

Bisphenol A (BPA)Even though plastic is everywhere, there's a lot you can do to reduce your use of the most toxic

plastics.

Tips for protecting your family from plastics >

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most pervasive chemicals in modern life. It's a building block of polycarbonate (#7 is often polycarbonate) plastic and is used in thousands of consumer products, including food packaging. BPA exposure may disrupt normal breast development in ways that predispose women for later life breast cancer.

PhthalatesPhthalates are a group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in PVC or #3 plastic. Phthalate exposure has been linked toearly puberty in girls, a risk factor for later-life breast cancer. Some phthalates also act as weakestrogens in cell culture systems.

Vinyl ChlorideVinyl chloride is formed in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or #3 plastic. It was one of the first chemicals designated as a known human carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It has also been linked to increased mortality from breast cancer among workers involved in its manufacture.

DioxinDioxin is formed in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or #3 plastic. Dioxin has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known human carcinogen, and is also an endocrine disruptor.

StyreneStyrene can leach from polystyrene or #6 plastic and is found in Styrofoam food trays, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, carryout containers and opaque plastic cutlery. It has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a possible human carcinogen.RSS Feed unavailable

 http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/environmental-breast-cancer-links/plastics/

Disposal of Plastic: What Happens if We Burn or Bury It?

When plastics are used, recycled, or disposed of, or left in the environment as litter, they break down and release harmful chemicals. These pollutants include heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, and chemicals such as benzene, dioxins, and other pollutants, which all release harmful toxins into our air, water, and bodies.

Right now, most plastic is being wasted—sent to landfills or, more likely, incinerators.

Burning plastic in incinerators releases toxic heavy metals and chemicals. Incinerators produce a variety of toxic discharges to the air, water, and ground that are significant sources of powerful pollutants, including dioxin and other chlorinated organic compounds that are well known for their toxic effects on human health and the environment.

Many of these toxins enter the food supply and become more concentrated as they move up through the food chain. In addition to air and water emissions, incinerators create toxic ash—or slag—which contains heavy metals, dioxins, and other pollutants. This toxic ash must be landfilled, and the pollutants present in the ash can then leach into groundwater.

In fact, garbage incinerators and medical waste incinerators are two of the largest sources of dioxin identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dioxin is the common name for a class of 75 chemicals. It is a toxic waste product formed when waste containing chlorine is burned or when products containing chlorine are manufactured. Dioxins are among the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, causing cancer and harming our immune and reproductive systems even at very low concentrations.

In landfills, leachate is produced when water picks up toxins as it seeps through the trash. This

trash includes plastics of all types, even older plastics that have been proven to be toxic but are still in our landfills. Although landfills attempt to collect this toxic leachate, it also leaks into ground and surface water, releasing pollutants into the environment and causing health risks for humans and wildlife.

Resources to learn more and take action:

GAIA, a worldwide alliance whose vision is a just, toxic-free world without incineration, has information on their website about the impacts of incineration.

Download a fact sheet on the hazards of dioxin  (PDF) from The Center for Health, Environment & Justice.

Learn more about dioxin in food  (PDF) and what you can do about it. After 27 years of delay, the EPA released its Health Report on Dioxin(February 2012),

linking dioxin to serious health problems. Reduce the amount of plastic you use and recycle all the plastic you can.

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Recycling Plastics May Be Better than Wasting, but Can Be Toxic, Too

It can be frustrating, time-consuming, and overwhelming to deal with so many throwaway plastic products and packaging. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to toss them in the garbage (after all, burning or burying plastics has toxic effects on our environment and our health), but is recycling the right thing to do? What happens to plastic once it is collected?

In the short term, recycling can be better than burning or burying plastics, and it can replace the use of virgin petroleum in making new products. However, even the plastics recycling process is not without harmful effects on human and environmental health. That's whyredesigning plastic packaging and products and reducing our use of plastics are the best options for our health and for the environment. 

Plastic is melted during the recycling process, which causes it to break down and release the chemicals used to make it. Recycling plastic is associated with skin and respiratory problems resulting from exposure to and inhalation of toxic fumes, especially hydrocarbons and residues released during the recycling process—this is true of some types, like PVC, more than others.

Heating and reheating plastic also degrades it, which is why plastic collected for recycling is so often “downcycled.” Plastic bottles, for example, are made into carpet, fleece, plastic lumber,

and other products that cannot be recycled again. This also does little to reduce the use of virgin petroleum to make new bottles.

We cannot escape toxins that are released when recycling takes place here, or even overseas, since toxins don't stay local. Once emitted into the environment, dioxins, for example, can travel vast distances via air and ocean currents, which makes them a global contaminant.

When the plastic we collect for recycling in the U.S. is shipped overseas to China, India, and other countries (and much of it is), the work standards for people and emission standards are not always the same as in the United States. More importantly, it is extremely difficult to obtain documentation of how the material is handled in order to find out what is happening to it. The recycling industry’s experience with overseas shipping of other materials, like electronics, tells us the importance of understanding what happens to materials.

Now, because of concern about health and environmental impacts, some countries are starting to put real limits on how much of our plastics they will take, making it more difficult for recycling programs collecting all plastics to find a market for their material.

Specifically, in 2013, China began to heavily regulate the importing of “scrap material” (like paper, aluminum, and plastic) from other countries for environmental reasons. China no longer accepts mixed plastic materials from “all-plastics” programs (though a few other countries still do). China’s new policy, known as Operation Green Fence, created a temporary upset in recycling markets as thousands of scrap containers were rejected at China’s ports for having excessive contamination—some of these containers carried as much as 40% non-recyclable plastics and other trash mixed in with the recycling. Over the past year, these changes have inspired improvements in the recycling industry in the U.S.—many recycling facilities have made major investments in quality control, and new plastics markets are developing in the U.S. 

Some people believe that educating residents about the realities of plastic recycling is too complicated. While tighter quality control standards at recycling facilities and end markets are an improvement, it is even more important to provide people with good recycling education. Just as it is wasteful to ship materials overseas only to have them thrown away after they arrive, it is also wasteful to collect materials in a recycling truck and then throw them away when they reach the recycling facility. 

Eureka Recycling believes that people like you want to know what materials are really made into new products after you carefully place them in your recycling bin. By taking the time to understand what plastics are really recyclable, you can help your community’s recycling program be a success, take action to change your purchasing habits, and even push back on producers—asking them to change the plastics that they use in their products and packaging.

The only reasons Eureka Recycling recycles anything is to protect the environment and our health, while improving our quality of life. When Eureka Recycling collects plastics, or any other material, you can be confident that we know where and how it is recycled.

Resources to learn more and take action:

Watch the groundbreaking documentary Exporting Harm, which reveals that huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes (E-wastes) are being exported to China, Pakistan, and India, where they are processed in operations that are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. The Basel Action Network, a nonprofit based in Seattle, Washington, helped to create this documentary. They are the world’s only organization focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic

inefficiency of toxic trade (toxic wastes, products, and technologies) and its devastating impacts.

Learn about what plastics can really be recycled through your community's recycling program. (Click here if your community works with Eureka Recycling). Work on reducing your use of non-recyclable plastics, and avoid single-use plastic products whenever you can.  

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Health Implications: The Plastic We Use Can Harm Ushttp://www.eurekarecycling.org/page.cfm?ContentID=126

The things that make plastic so attractive to manufacturers and consumers are the same things that make it so harmful to our health and the environment. 

You can make plastic in any size, shape, texture, and color. It can be flexible or hard. It can be light (like foam) or heavy. You can even give it a scent. Why? Everything made of plastic starts with a resin (or two, or many) made from petroleum that is combined with any number of chemicals that are relatively untested for safety, such as plasticizers, lubricants, pigments, and stabilizers, to give each item its unique characteristics. 

Think about the thousands upon thousands of plastic items—bottles, toys, to-go containers, Frisbees®, medical supplies, car bumpers, foam, and more—all with a unique recipe. And all this plastic has been created faster than we are able to learn about how it affects our environment and bodies.

Over 82,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for use in commerce. The vast majority of these chemicals are untested.

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates industrial chemicals in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required safety testing on only 200 of these chemicals. Of those, only five—including asbestos and dioxin—have been banned from manufacturing.

This does not mean that other chemicals or other plastics are entirely safe; they just haven’t been studied. To compound matters, current testing typically involves one chemical at a time, but many problems occur only when different chemicals interact in the manufacturing process, the product, or our bodies.

In 2011, the Safe Chemicals Act was introduced in Congress to overhaul this legislation. Minnesota has passed legislation to remove some toxic chemicals from products; banning Bisphenol-A (BPA) from baby bottles and sippy cups is one example.

BPA and phthalates are just two substances that have attracted a lot of attention because of their now-known harmful effects.

BPA is a common synthetic chemical found in plastics–food and beverage can linings and other consumer products—that interferes with human hormones. We know that phthalates, a class of chemicals used to soften plastics and to carry fragrance in many everyday products, have been linked to birth defects and are harmful to the reproductive system.

Some chemicals, like BPA and phthalates, can leach into food and drinks to possibly affect human health. Polycarbonate, PVC, and styrene have also been shown to leach toxic chemicals. Leaching increases when plastic comes in contact with oily or fatty foods, when the plastics are heated, and when plastics get old or scratched.

Here are some simple steps you can take today to protect you and your family.

Resources to learn more and take action:

Read the Smart Plastics Guide from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Go to HealthyStuff.org for a searchable online database of toxic chemicals in everyday

products. Buy less plastic. The “My Plastic-Free Life” blog has a list of plastic-free and less-plastic

alternatives and tips about storing produce without plastic. Get involved. Learn more about the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign. Visit the Ecology Center website for information about the Problems with Plastics,

including their factsheet with ways to eliminate plastic from your life.  Read Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York,

N.Y., 2011). http://www.susanfreinkel.com/ If you want to go even deeper into these issues, check out the list of plastics resources

on Mindfully.org.  

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Efforts to Phase out PVC, “The Poison Plastic”

PVC (#3) or polyvinyl chloride plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, gets its name “the poison plastic” because its lifecycle is toxic from start to finish. It is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created.

PVC is chlorine-based, so when it is manufactured or burned it generates dioxin, a known human carcinogen. It also contains many toxic additives such as phthalates, lead, and cadmium, which leach out during use.

PVC is used to make products from bottles to shower curtains to children’s toys. The production, use, and disposal of vinyl have been linked to several health concerns, including reproductive

abnormalities, damage to the immune and neurological systems, hormone disruption, infertility, and cancer. 

Resources to learn more and take action:

Avoid buying all products or packaging made of PVC. Look for the #3 on the bottom or for the letter “V” inside or underneath the universal recycling symbol. This means that the product is made of PVC. Soft, flexible plastic products that are made with PVC often have a distinct odor.

Watch Blue Vinyl , a humorous and hopeful documentary that explores the question “Is it possible to make products that never hurt anyone at any point of their life cycle—when manufactured, when used, or when disposed of?” Filmmaker Judith Helfand attempts to convince her parents to remove the vinyl siding from their house if she can find a safe and affordable alternative. She travels to America’s vinyl manufacturing capital and beyond in search of answers about the nature of PVC. This website also has adownloadable fact sheet about PVC.

Visit The Center for Health, Environment & Justice website for The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home and the PVC-Free School Supplies Guide.

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The Real Answer Is in Redesigning Plastic Products

We currently face a real dilemma with plastics. We know that burning plastics in our local incinerator has serious impacts on our community, our health, and our environment. However, if we collect this material and send it overseas for “recycling” without knowing what happens to it, we are likely to create serious problems for another community and our environment. Even recycling plastics in local, well-regulated markets has limitations, as most plastic is “down-cycled” into non-recyclable products. What should we do with this tidal-wave of plastic products? 

We need to go back to the drawing board, literally, and work with manufacturers to redesign plastic products. We have the technology and intelligence to create useful, durable, non-toxic, recyclable plastic products. 

Producers also need to share in the responsibility of dealing with their products at the end of their useful life. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts responsibility for recycling or other safe disposal of products and packaging to those who design, market and profit from them. With this approach, this ever-changing and growing tidal wave of stuff doesn't so unfairly burden residents and communities. Eureka Recycling is a member of the Cradle2 Coalition, a national alliance of public interest organizations working to make products and packaging more sustainable.

Resources to learn more and take action:

Learn more about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) from the Product Policy Institute. 

The Surfrider Foundation has a program called Rise Above Plastics that works to reduce the impacts of plastics on the marine environment by raising awareness about the

dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the recycling of all plastics.

The Container Recycling Institute has a lot of statistics on plastics and other bottles, as well as some solutions being leveraged through beverage container deposits.