plastic patrol: the dos and don'ts of food storage

To put it simply, plastic is toxic. Making plastic releases dangerous chemicals into the environment and into our communities. Even the safest plastics have been shown to leach chemicals into food and/or beverages in scientific studies. Recycling plastics, although in some cases very effective, is often difficult, and it of course requires the consumer to actually put their plastics in the recycle bin instead of the trash can. In the United States, plastics are categorized into 7 different types. This is the number you see in the little recycling symbol on the bottom. Here is a break-down of each type and how dangerous it may be (list of plastics and their common uses taken from The Complete Organic Pregnancy by Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu):

1	PET (polyethylene terephthalate): used in most clear beverage bottles, like bottled water If you must buy drinks in a one-time-use plastic bottle, remember that it is made for just that: one-time-use. Although controversial (the thesis was not peer reviewed, government reviewed, or published in a scientific journal), D. Lilya, a graduate student at the University of Idaho did find that chemicals in water bottles leached into the water after multiple uses (D. Lilya's Abstract). Also take a look at this study supporting the occurance of leaching: Antimony Leaching into Bottled Water. Besides putting chemicals in your body, making this type of plastic is not so great for the earth, either: "producing a 16 oz. PET bottle generates over 100 times the toxic emissions to air and water than making the same size bottle out of glass" (Problems with Bottled Water). Plus, landfills are filling up with these types of bottles. On a more positive note, this plastic is the easiest to recycle (PET Recycling).
2	HDPE (high-density polyethylene): used in opaque food bottles, like milk or water jugs It seems this is the safest plastic out there, though it's hard to find sites that specifically cite why (it seems most people take this as fact, and thus for granted), although I did find this site, which shows that it's pretty difficult to break down without the help of some serious chemicals: Dynalab and HDPE. However, I did also find this study, PubMed and HDPE, which shows that certain chemicals do leach into drinking water as it moves through HDPE pipes, some possibly carcinogenic (aldehydes). HDPE fits easily into the recycling process (HDPE Recycling).
3	PVC (polyvinyl chloride, aka vinyl): used in food containers, plastic wraps, soft bottles This is the "bad guy" of plastics. Everyone seems to agree it's a bad choice, and not without reason. "PVC is not bioavailable, so the polymer itself is not toxic during use. But vinyl products are not pure PVC; they contain both accidental contaminants and chemical modifiers that are added to the plastic on purpose, and some of these may pose health hazards" (see below). These contaminants and modifiers make it difficult to recycle PVC because it is difficult to separate these non-recyclable substances from the plastic product (How PVC Gets Recycled). Included in these modifiers are both lead and phthalates, which are added to the PVC to stabilize (extends product life even if exposed to light) and plasticize it (makes it more moldable), respectively. "About 5.4 million tons of phthalates and 156 thousand tons of lead are used each year in the worldwide production of PVC" (see below). But can the lead and phthalates get into our food? Yes. "The additives are not chemically bonded to the PVC polymer but are mixed into the plastic during its formulation. Over time, these additives leach out of vinyl products, entering the air, water, or other liquids with which the product comes in contact. When PVC containers and films are used to hold food products, plasticizers migrate out of the plastic and accumulate in foods, especially fatty ones like cheese and meats" (Environmental Impacts of Polyvinyl Chloride Building Materials by Joe Thornton, PH.D., pp. 41). Another study found that PVC containing bisphenol A (BPA) does leach BPA into food (BPA Migration from PVC into Food). BPA is a known endocrine disruptor and can cause problems with the hormone systems of the body. (Observed Effects of Endocrine Active Substances). Take a look at its numerous potential hazards on EWG, where it receives a rating of 5-6 depending on usage: EWG on BPA. It is suspected to be especially dangerous for young children, and thus, pregnant women (or really, the child they carry) (Canadian Evaluation of BPA). Additionally, in areas where PVC is produced, in Lousiana for example--the location of half of the United States's PVC production factories, "the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry tested blood samples from 28 residents in Mossville for dioxin, a known human carcinogen and the most dangerous toxic known to science" (PVC Information). They found that these residents have dioxin levels three times higher than the average U.S. citizen. So, whether for your own health or the health of others, if you choose to give up any plastics, give up at least this one.
4	LDPE (low-density polyethylene): used in food storage bags and soft bottles This is generally listed as a safe plastic, however it "contain[s] antioxidants to minimize degradation during processing" (Migration of BHT from LDPE to Food) including butylated hydroxytoluene or BHT, a common preservative. BHT has been linked to hosts of health concerns, including immune, organ, and reproductive toxicity as well as cancer (EWG/Skindeep on BHT). Therfore, I'm not so convinced about LDPE's safety... Additonally, it's not widely recycled either (Care2 Safe Plastics).
5	PP (polypropylene): used in rigid containers, baby bottles, cups, bowls Another plastic generally considered safe, but once again I am not convinced. Researchers at the University of Alberta found polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene (numbers 5, 1, and 6 respectively) to leach two types of chemicals into their lab experiments, ruining their progress. One of these, oleamide is only ranked 1 on EWG's hazard scale, but is listed as an organ system toxicant and is a suspected environmental toxin (EWG on Oleamide). The other, di(2-hydroxyethyl)methyldodecylammonium, or diHEMDA, I could find no information about. However it is a quaternary ammonium biocide, and biocides in general are used to kill living organisms and are heavily regulated. EWG also ranks PP specifically, from hazard level 1-3 depending on usage, citing immune system and organ system toxicity (EWG on Polypropylene). This type of plastic is also not widely recycled (see Care2 link above under #4).
6	PS (polystyrene): used in styrofoam, take-out containers, meat/bakery trays, plastic cutlery, plastic cups This is generally not considered safe. Polystyrene contains styrene: "Since the manufacturing process is not 100% efficient, polystyrene contains some residual styrene... styrene is soluble in oil and ethanol [1,2,3,4] -- substances commonly found is foods and alcoholic beverages," and studies show that styrene does leach into foods and beverages (Polystyrene Health Information). Whether you like it or not, styrene is getting into our bodies: "Styrene is a suspected carcinogen and neurotoxin... It has been detected in the fat tissue of every man, woman and child tested by the EPA in a 1986 study. Styrene has been found in 100 percent of human tissue samples and 100 percent of human nursing milk samples tested" (More on Polystyrene). Of course not all of this exposure comes from food/beverages that come into contact with PS, but some of it does. Also, PS throws off around 57 chemicals during production (Polystyrene Production) and is not easily recycled (Polystyrene Recycling).
7	Polycarbonate, or Lexan: used in 5 gallon water jugs, baby bottles, metal can linings (in canned foods) This plastic is also a "bad guy" because it contains bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupter and human health hazard (see above information on BPA under the section #3 on PVC). BPA has been shown to leach into hot (BPA and Baby Bottles) and cold beverages (BPA and Cold Beverages) as well as food (EWG Study on BPA), which makes it a notable health concern. You should know that not all #7 plastics are polycarbonate: this is also the "other" category for plastics that don't fit in to the other 6. However, unless you want to call up the manufacturer of each #7 item you have in your home and ask what kind of plastic it is, you should probably assume the "better safe than sorry" approach and just replace it all. In addition, because #7 is a "grab-bag" of plastics, it is difficult to separate for recycling, plus, it quickly become non-recyclable plastic after being recycled multiple times (Recycling #7 Plastic).

Invest in some glass:
While glass does require quite a bit of energy to make (the ingredients must be heated to very high temperatures) it doesn't release toxic byproducts, and it is easily recyclable over and over. In fact, scrap glass is often an ingredient in making new glass, which reduces waste from using completely fresh ingredients every time (Info on Glass). It is made from non-toxic materials such as sand, washing soda, lime, magnesium oxide, and occasionally aluminum oxide (this last ingredient surprisingly receives a 5 on EWG, however, it seems it cannot leach out of the glass unless repeatedly exposed to water vapor at high temperatures, this usually occurs in scientific labs, for example (Scientific Properties of Glass)). Just make sure your glass doesn't contain lead (most types of glass don't, be careful with crystal and ceramic glass products).

Pyrex makes great glass tupperware with air-tight plastic lids (although they are plastic #7, they fall under the category of "other" and do not contain BPA, and if you're careful, you can make it so they never actually touch the food, which might help). They can be used in the oven, the microwave, the dishwasher, the fridge, and the freezer. You can get a 20 pc. set of containers of multiple sizes and shapes for about $30, and if you're careful, you'll never have to buy food storage containers again: Pyrex. I'm sure you could also find them cheaper at other retailers besides Pyrex itself.

As far as beverages go, since I buy my water, I need somewhere to store it. Most 5 gallon jugs contain BPA and finding a safe container for water storage was a nightmare (I decided completely against plastic, and my husband doesn't like the taste that metal gives water) until I found Specialty Bottle. While it costs quite a bit to ship glass (due to weight) if you get multiple items at once, it's worth it. I bought 4 1-gallon glass jugs for $3.84 a piece (this is a steal! I was SO happy to find this site after weeks of searching and finding only expenisve or plastic products!), and I fill them with the thoroughly filtered water from my grocery store (for more on this see my previous post: The Tap Water Problem) and put them in the fridge (or in the pantry to save fridge space): 1 gallon glass jug at Specialty Bottle. They also offer a wide variety of glass (and plastic) containers in all shapes and sizes! This site is just plain fun to explore whether you buy or not, although I highly recommend buying! I also ordered glass jars from here to use as portable water bottles. Since milk and juice cartons are made from the safest #2 plastic, I've just decided to deal with it for now. I'm not pouring them through a funnel into a glass jug every time I buy them. That's a bit much even for me...

Problem Solved?
While this does solve the problems of food and beverage exposure to some extent, we are still surrounded by plastics in our computers, furniture, houses (building materials), clothes, and more. I try to avoid PVC (especially in shower curtains which are exposed to heat) since it is the most likely to release toxic chemicals in the air, and other than that, well... I choose to accept that there is nothing I can do when there isn't anything I can do, and to solve the problem when there is an alternative option (especially if it's cheap and easy). So, good luck in your future glass exploits, and...

Look for my next post on local produce and how it changes your perspective on how food is grown, sold, cooked, and eaten!