Eeek! Plastique!!!

Good evenin', Daisy readers! Welcome to a merry little late-night Thursday post. Thursday night is actually the beginning of my weekend, (a rough life, I know!) and as I was embarking on my half-hour bus ride home after work, I decided to put my feet up, dig out a 'Natural Health' magazine that I found in a pile at my other job and promptly "borrowed", and take a sip of water from my... glass jam jar? That's right! I tote my water around in a cleaned-out, label-removed jam jar. People look at me like I've got two heads when I drink from it on the street sometimes, but I got the brainstorm to start using it as a portable water vessel a couple of months ago when I was washing some old jars out and realized that not only were they a very convenient size to haul all over town, but they were completely leak proof! So my old blueberry jam jar became my 'water bottle', and the random junk in my purse hasn't gotten soaked lately.
Where am I going with this? I'll tell yas. Not long ago, someone asked me if I was using the glass jar in place of plastic. I wasn't - but it made me think. Warnings about the use of plastic to store food and drink have been all over the news lately, even prompting big stores like Mountain Equipment Co-op to pull plastic Nalgene bottles from their shelves!! I decided to check out some of the most recent studies and info on the joys of plastic, and make a handy list to post here on The Green Daisy. Some of it I'd heard before; some of it is fairly common knowledge; and some of it was downright creepy.

Read on! Read on and find out why plastic ain't so fantastic.

Ever check out the little number in the recyclin' triangle on the bottom of that milk jug? There are seven types of plastic, each one made of different stuff, and generally used for different purposes. To start off, here's a brief run-down of plastic types and where you'll find them. Check 'em out:

#1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Ethylene, commonly used for soft drink bottles, juice containers, water bottles, and peanut butter jars.

#2 - High Density Polyethelene, commonly used for milk and water jugs, detergent bottles.

#3 - Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), commonly used for cling wrap, oil jars, cleaner bottles.

#4 - Low Density Polyethylene, commonly used for plastic shopping bags, cling wrap, and assorted bottles.

#5 - Polypropylene, commonly used in Rubbermaid containers, soup and yogurt containers, drinking straws and baby bottles.

#6 - Polystyrene, used to make styrofoam, egg cartons, and disposable cups, dishes, and cutlery.

#7 Polycarbonate, used in baby bottles, can liners, sippy cups, and plastic cutlery.

So there's the categories - here's the really important stuff. To start off with, only #1 and #2 are recyclable. Put any other kind of plastic in the recycling bin, and you're guaranteed that it's going to the dump, where it's going to sit for a few thousand years.
As far as toxicity goes, there are a few major culprits to look out for in the list o' plastique. If you must use plastic for food or beverage storage, you're better off using #1, #2, #4 and #5. The dreaded #7, #6, and #3 shouldn't be used for anything. Ever. Checkit:

#7 contains Bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics estrogen and can stimulate certain cancers, particularly ovarian. It messes up the reproductive system, sperm count, the immune system, and also interferes with puberty. It can easily pass through from mother to fetus via the bloodstream.

#3 contains di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate. Exposure to this chemical causes nasty effects on the organs and bones, and is a probable liver carcinogen. Besides being the least-recyclable of the plastics, it's the worst for our health too! Its manufacture creates major air and water pollution, and often contains added lead.. yechh! Not in my food, baby.

#6 contrains styrene. It's highly toxic to the brain and nervous system. It messes up organ function, and interferes with red blood cells.


So! #7,#3 and #6 - don't use 'em!! Eventually though, it would be a good idea to phase out the use of plastics in our daily lives as much as possible, as most of them are made from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource that's mostly used to create unnecessary packaging anyways... junk that ends up in the landfill (and our streets and waterways!!) and stays there, taking up valuable space on our already overcrowded planet and leaching goodness-knows-what into the ground.
It's obvious why plastic's been such a hit for the last hundred years or so - it's cheap to make, super-lightweight and usually very durable. But the pros don't outweigh the cons when it comes to protecting our health, our planet, and our children's future.

PLASTIC BANISHING TIPS!!!
- Switch to cloth bags for grocery trips! Those plastic bags clog up sewer grates, collect in landfills faster than dirty socks in my laundry pile, and even show up in the tummies of wild animals. Besides, cloth bags are way easier for the long jaunt home and will halt the creepy multiplication of plastic bags in your home, too!
- Invest in some glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers for storing food. Almost anything's better than plastic. Avoid cling wrap and tupperware as much as you can. You don't have to toss it all out right away.. gradually phasing plastic out is the name of the game!
- A strange fact: ordinary tap water is tested for impurities to a much larger extent than any brand of bottled water. Bottled water isn't just expensive - it's a rip-off and a big waste of natural resources. Skip the bottle whenever you can! Glass or stainless steel are great alternatives, and you wont get that plastic taste.
- People might look at you funny for this today, but years from now you'll be saying "I told you so" when everyone's doing it: bring your own containers when you order fast food or coffee to take the place of styrofoam. Styrofoam is gross and toxic. It's your health and your body; it's your right to demand safety. Don't let a few curious looks deter you.. I bring my own containers all the time!
- If you do use plastic or cling wrap any time, doooon't microwave it! When we heat it up in the microwave, we send the particles and atoms in the plastic buzzing and flying all over the place, worsening and quickening the nasty effects of plastic. Keep it at a cool temperature.

And there we have it! You know, it's weird.. now that I haven't been using plastic to drink from in a long while, on the occasional time that I do, I really notice it. As soon as you're not desensitized to plastic anymore, you really sense the negative attributes it has. It tastes funny. It smells funny. It's subtle, but it's there.. plastic gives me a cranky face. It's everywhere, but avoid it as much as you can! In the years to come, I've got the feeling that the general use of plastic, food-wise or not, is going to decline as more and more studies come out. I'd hate to see more bad news on top of the stuff already written here, but you know what they say.. the truth hurts... but the truth will set us free!

As an end note, it's time to recap last week's poll. Meats n' eats.

On the average week, how many of your lunches and dinners include meat?
11% said all, or most
11% said many - at least half
33% said only a few here or there
44% said none - I'm a vegetarian, fool!

This week's quiz is up and running.. thanks for pollin' and thanks for readin'!