Living in a Plastic Universe
By Linda Mason Hunter

Plastics are much in the news. And the news isn’t good. Here are the facts:

1. Modern-day plasticizers were originally developed for chemical warfare.

2. Plastic is a combination of synthetic resins made in laboratories, not found in nature.

3. Plastic pollutes throughout its lifecycle. Though some do biodegrade, it takes 1,000 years or more.

4. Scientists are learning that some plastic resins leach into food and beverages, and when they do, they can cause harm to human health, especially to unborn children and infants.

5. Since World War II, plastic has become a multi-billion dollar industry with tremendous economic clout.

Look around you. We live in a sea of plastic. We feed our babies from plastic bottles, wrap our trash in plastic bags, and bring groceries home in plastic sacks. It’s even in our medical devices. What is this doing to our planet? What is this doing to our health? The health of our children? And their children?

 

Environmental Concerns
Plastics are forever. Made from oil and natural gas, plastics don’t decompose in the environment. Instead, they accumulate in ever greater amounts on land and in water. The results can be overwhelming. In the North Pacific, currents have swept together a floating island of plastic twice the size of Texas and composed of tires, toys, and other plastic waste. Rather than dispersing, it has doubled in size in the last six years, according to National Geographic’s Green Guide, trapping animals in lost plastic nets and shopping bags. There’s similar “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico that continues to increase in size as years go by.

Health Concerns
Plastics, whether hard or soft, are made up of a combination of synthetic chemicals called plasticizers. Scientists believe some of these chemicals are endocrine disrupters which upset the hormonal balance in humans. The suspect chemicals are estrogenic, meaning they mimic the female sex hormone, and consequently may play a role in breast and prostate cancer. With early exposure, unborn children, infants, and toddlers are at high risk for early onset of puberty in girls and feminization of boys, as well as future reproductive cancers.

Whether you’re affected or not depends on genetic history, your immune system, your exposure, and the age exposure occurrs. Chronic use is cause for concern. If you eat a lot of canned soup, take out coffee in a Styrofoam cup, or do daily down dogs on a PVC yoga mat, you’re at risk.

How to Read Recycling Codes
The three-arrow recycling code on the bottom or side of most plastic products is a clue about what kind of resin the product contains and whether or not it’s recyclable.

#1—PETE
Resin: Polyethylene terephthalate. Stamped PET or PETE.

Found in: Clear beverage bottles; mouthwash, detergent, and cleaning bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers, oven-proof food trays, boil-in-bag pouches.
Recyclable? Widely recyclable. In high demand by remanufacturers.

Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, occasionally new containers.
Health risk: Generally considered safe, with some precautions. Low risk of leeching breakdown products in food and beverages.

#2 —HDPE
Resin: High density polyethylene. Often stamped HDPE.

Found in: Used for colored or cloudy bottles and jugs, including milk jugs; yogurt containers, butter and other tubs; bleach, detergent, shampoo, and cleaner bottles; some trash and shopping bags, motor oil bottles; lining of cereal boxes.

Recyclable? Usually recyclable, though tubs and bottles may not be able to be recycled together.

Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing. Readily recyclable; especially good for packaging.

Health risks: Generally considered safe, with some precautions. Low risk of leeching.

#3 --PVC
Resin: Polyvinyl chloride. Stamped V (vinyl) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

Found in: Cooking oil bottles, meat packaging, cling wrap, squeeze bottles, yoga mats; window cleaner, shampoo, and detergent bottles; office binders; a host of construction materials, such as siding, window frames, conduit, plumbing pipe; medical equipment; shower curtains, blinds, wall coverings, carpets, floor coverings; toys, lawns chairs, pool linings, garden hoses, gutters.

Recyclable? Rarely recycled. Accepted by some plastic lumber makers.

Recycled into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats.
Health risk: Avoid. PVC leaches toxins (including phthalates) into food and beverages, can outgas toxins into the air, and is an environmental problem throughout its lifecycle. Phthalates are a suspected human carcinogen.

Alternative: Purchase cooking oil in glass bottles. Opt for yoga mats made from natural materials, such as natural rubber and jute. Make your own cleaners with natural ingredients, like baking soda and distilled white vinegar. Choose green building materials that are biodegradable. Always research plant-based alternatives.

#4—LDPE
Resin: Low density polyethylene. Often stamped LDPE.
Found in: Grocery, produce, garbage, and dry cleaning bags; food storage bags, some cling wrap and bottles; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet.

Recyclable? Sometimes recyclable. Plastic shopping bags can be returned to stores now that many stores are banning their use and opting for reusable bags made from cloth.

Recycled into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile.

Health risk: Generally considered safe, with some precautions.

# 5—PP
Resin: Polypropylene. Stamped PP.

Found in: Diapers, straws, yogurt containers; most reusable food storage containers; butter tubs; syrup and ketchup bottles; some baby bottles and other rigid containers; caps and medicine bottles.

Recyclable? Not widely recycled.

Recycled into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays.
Health risk: Generally considered safe. Has a high melting point, so must not come into contact with hot liquid.

Alternative: Buy products in reusable glass containers whenever possible.

#6—PS
Resin: Polystrene. Stamped PS.

Found in: CD cases, egg cartons; disposable plates, cups, carry-out containers; meat trays, packing peanuts. Can be molded into soft cups as well as rigid foams and hard plastics.

Recyclable? Sometimes recyclable, though packing and shipping stores accept packing peanuts for reuse.
Recycled into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers.

Health risks: Avoid anything that might touch consumables. Styrene is a known animal mammary carcinogen and probable human carcinogen. Scientists confirm that polystyrene releases potentially toxic breakdown products (including styrene), particularly when heated! Carcinogens are a byproduct of manufacturing.

Alternative: Ceramic, recycled glass, paper or safer plastics like numbers 1, 2 or 5. Use your own green containers for take-out food. Return packing peanuts to packaging stores.

#7 –Other (usually polycarbonate)
Resin: Miscellaneous; a variety that don’t fit into previous categories. Some are multi-layered, mixed materials. Some are made from plants that are compostable. Most, though, is polycarbonate, a hard plastic stamped PC.

Found in: Container caps; most plastic sport and baby bottles; 3- and 5-gallon water bottles; clear plastic sippy cups; grocery bags; some clear plastic cutlery; linings of metal cans; dental sealants; bullet-proof materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, food containers, nylon.

Recyclable? Not widely recyclable.

Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products.
Health risk: Avoid polycarbonate (stamped PC) which leaches hormone-disrupting bisphenol A (BPA) under heat, pressure, or as plastic ages. No level of BPA exposure is known to be truly safe.

Alternative: Limit use of canned food and beverages (especially acidic foods, like tomatoes); buy fresh or frozen, instead. Carry a stainless steel personal water bottle or canteen, not lined with plastic. Ask what your dentist uses for sealants. Always look for plant-based, biodegradable, and/or recycled alternatives.

Reduce Use
Don’t use garbage bags. Simply empty your trash into the garbage bin, or get recycled or biodegradable, compostable garbage bags.

1. Request that your daily newspaper not be wrapped in plastic when it’s delivered.
2. Take your own metal container to the restaurant to take home leftovers when you’re eating out.
3. Remind your favorite take-out place to leave out the plastic utensils when they pack your food to go.
4. Don’t bring home drycleaning clothes covered in plastic wrap.
5. Take a reusable mug with you when you get coffee to go, preferably ceramic or stainless steel not lined with plastic.
6. Take your own cotton, canvas, or hemp bags to the grocery store, including cotton mesh produce sacks for fruits and vegetables.
7. Never drink water from plastic. Carry water around in a stainless steel bottle or canteen.
8. Pack lunches and food to go in reusable containers.
9. Purchase products in large containers and choose glass bottles over plastic when possible.

TAKE ACTION!
Recycle
Check every plastic container before you chuck it—it may be recyclable!

PRUDENT AVOIDANCE:
Plastic Toys
Lead contamination in toys prompted mass recalls in 2007 and 2008, but toxic chemicals called phthalates are also widespread in toys and phthalates are still legal in most states. Phthalates are the chemicals which make plastic toys and teethers soft and flexible, but when kids put them in their mouths, phthalates can leach from toy to child. Phthalates have been linked to birth defects, and are a risk factor for breast and testicular cancer.

California and Washington State have banned phthalates from toys, as has the European Union and 14 other countries. Until the U.S. takes similar action across the country, it’s buyer beware in the marketplace. Fortunately, safe alternatives exist.