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Know Your Plastics
Dr. Alan Greene
Monday, October 20, 2008
Plastics are everywhere. Some are eco-friendly and appear to be very safe for kids. Most are made from non-renewable petroleum, much of which needs to be imported. Some plastics cause dangerous pollution during manufacturing, and some contain chemicals suspected of causing harm – especially to kids.
You might choose to replace plastic water bottles with a refillable stainless steel version, or to replace plastic toy blocks with wooden ones, plastic teething chews with organic cotton, or plastic jars with glass. Even so, you’ll probably find yourself using a lot of plastic.
To select the plastics that are best for your children and for the environment, get to know the easy-to-identify plastic recycling codes you’ll usually find on the underside of the bottle or packaging. Look for these numbers and symbols before you buy. The safer plastic choices are coded 1, 2, 4, and 5. Try to avoid 3, 6, and most plastics labeled with number 7.
- Code 1: PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate). You’ll most commonly see this in the thin, clear plastic of bottled water (or bottled cooking oil, peanut butter, soda, etc.). It’s appears safe for single use, but these bottles should not be reused, refilled, or heated. This plastic can be recycled once into new secondary products, such as textiles, parking lot bumpers, or plastic lumber.
- Code 2: HDPE (high-density polyethylene). This is the thicker, milkier or opaque plastic found in milk and water jugs, juice bottles, detergent, shampoo, and motor oil containers, and toys. Unlike #1, these are safe to refill and reuse, even though they may not look as snazzy as #1 or #7. Recyclable once into products similar to those for # 1 plastics.
- Code 3: PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Found in bibs, mattress covers, squeeze bottles, cling wrap, some peanut butter jars, and a few other food and detergent containers. The manufacture of PVC releases dioxin into the environment, a potent carcinogen that accumulates in animals and in us. It may also contain phthalates, chemicals used, among other things, to soften plastics. Some phthalates are hormone disruptors that have been linked to possible reproductive problems and birth defects, and even to smaller penis size in boys. PVC workers have higher cancer rates. May be discarded at the recycling plant. AVOID #3!
- Code 4: LDPE (low-density polyethylene). Found in soft, flexible plastics such as those used in grocery story bags, plastic wrap, dry cleaning bags, shopping bags, and garbage bags. One of the safer plastics – but recycle, don’t throw away. Many of these bags could be better replaced with reusable bags, especially when shopping.
- Code 5: PP (polypropylene). Found in hard but flexible plastics, such as those used for ice cream and yogurt containers, drinking straws, syrup bottles, salad bar containers, and diapers. One of the safer plastics – but recycle, don’t throw away.
- Code 6: PS (polystyrene). Found in rigid plastics such as opaque plastic spoons and forks, and in Styrofoam, such as those found in coffee cups and meat trays. These plastics can leach styrene, a known neurotoxin with other negative health effects. AVOID #6.
- Code 7: Other (including polycarbonate, nylon, and acrylic). This is a grab bag symbol. It includes polycarbonate, an important source of the endocrine disruptor BPA, and found in most baby bottles. Polycarbonate is also common in 5-gallon water bottles, sports bottles, clear plastic cutlery, and in the lining of food and formula cans.
- But code 7 also includes some of the newer, compostable green plastics, such as those made from corn, potatoes, rice, or tapioca. (I wish they would make a code 8 for these!) AVOID # 7, unless it is labeled as one of these new bio-based plastics.
Whatever plastics you choose, when microwaving food or drink, try to opt for glass or ceramic containers instead of plastic, where possible, and wax paper instead of plastic wrap.
This year two of the largest toy retailers have announced new guidelines to cut kids exposure to phthalates in their toys. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us (and their Babies R Us stores) have taken the lead in requiring independent third-party lab testing of each batch of toys imported to the US for sale in their stores to slash kids’ risk of being exposed from their toys. I hope more companies (and state and national governments) will take similar steps. In the meantime, Know Your Plastics!
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Posted by Jason on 10/17 at 06:17 PM
Isn’t it true that a person would have to consume an insane amount of liquid out of any of these containers to be at risk? I have one of those classic Nalgene bottles at work that I still use from time to time. From what I understand, I would have to consume thousands and thousands of full Nalgene bottles before I would be in any danger.
I know this doesn’t excuse us from using such plastics with our children…I just want to understand exactly what the danger level is.
Posted by Stephanie Warner on 10/18 at 10:57 AM
This puts my mind to rest about #7. I thought all #7’s were Polycarbonate, and still have refused to buy any products even if they claimed to be bio-based. Thank you for this great article!
Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 10/20 at 09:42 AM
There’s no way to quantify exactly what the danger level is. Here are three concepts to keep in mind:
1)Children are more vulnerable to chemical exposures because their bodies are still developing (and in the case of things like neurotoxins or endocrine disruptors, exposures can impede healthy development and cause lifelong impacts).
2)Studies are showing that our old notions of “the dose makes the poison” are not always correct. Endocrine disruptors can be more toxic in tinier doses.
3)When there are safer alternatives readily available, Healthy Child advocates for precaution. When it comes to child health and development, it’s simply better to be safe than sorry.
Hope this answers your question!
Posted by Tiffany on 10/21 at 02:51 PM
Great article!
Posted by Kari on 10/25 at 06:25 AM
How do we know when our exposure is too much? Each person’s body is so different, that everyone can’t possibly fit into an exact amount, especially children, whose bodies are so much more sensitive to endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, etc. I agree with the previous comment: you can’t put a number on how much exposure is too dangerous. Because we know it’s toxic, let’s just avoid it all together.
Nalgene now makes a BPA-free water bottle. Their website is: www.nalgene-outdoor.com.
I think this is a great article, and I’ve shared it with all my friends and family. Thank you for keeping us all informed and encouraging us to be WISE consumers.
Posted by Dr Monica F. Delgado on 11/03 at 06:01 PM
Phtalates are bad too, avoid this plasticizer at all costs specially in children’s products.
Posted by Organic Baby Nook on 11/05 at 05:29 PM
Plastics scare the heck out of me. I caught my husband nuking our daughter’s sippy in the microwave and almost lost it! For me, I’ve replaced all my plastic water bottles with the stainless steel bottles and I feel great every time I take a swig. Cheers, Lori
Posted by marirea penisului on 01/21 at 11:34 AM
I think it’s a problem and I am really happy people are considering these aspects! Why suffer from so many problems because of some lousy plastics? It’s good to document everything because technology really makes it easy today.
Posted by Outdoor Toys on 02/06 at 07:25 AM
Great article. The other problem with plastics is that not only can they be toxic, but take years to bio-degrade. It seems the era of plastics is over
Posted by Jane on 02/11 at 10:39 AM
What are your feelings about reusing milk jugs after they are cleaned by refilling them with juice that I make?
Posted by Janelle on 02/11 at 02:22 PM
Jane- You should be okay re-using your milk jugs for juice. Just be sure to hand wash them and discard them when you start to notice scratches and wear.
As an alternative to discarding them (by which I mean recycle if it’s available in your area), you can also find other uses for them. Here are some links to ideas for reusing milk jugs:
http://www.plantea.com/milk-jug.htm
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1564935,00.html
http://tipnut.com/reusing-plastic-milk-jug-ideas/
Posted by Rick on 05/06 at 09:47 AM
This is a great article about the dangers of plastic. Do you know that many water companies supply water to our homes through PVC pipe? This water can be tainted with lead that can leach out of the PVC water pipes. There are also many other dangers associated with PVC water pipes. There are so many problems with plastics in our lives. However this problem is buried underground and I think it’s being overlooked. You can find more information on this issue at www.cleanwaterpipecouncil.org.
Posted by Amber on 09/24 at 07:21 PM
Great article! I never really paid attention to any of the codes before and I never paid any attention to the plastics I was using, again great article.
Posted by Janet on 10/30 at 06:44 PM
Has there been any information about the material used to line the stainless steel water bottles? When looking for a safe water bottle, I looked into the steel ones but found out they are lined with a coating of something unknown. There was no information about the coating with the bottles.
I opted for a non-BPA nalgene but now that choice seems to be in question.
Posted by Mandy Geisler on 11/02 at 12:03 PM
Check out healthier solutions like www.KleanKanteen.com or http://thinksportbottles.com/. 100% BPA-free.
Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 11/02 at 12:05 PM
Janet - It’s aluminum water bottles that have a lining that sometimes contains BPA. Stainless steel bottles, like Klean Kanteen, do not need a lining.
Posted by Rebecca on 10/16 at 08:08 AM
Thanks for this article! Great information!