Blog by: Giv2Cure (Kerry)
Credit to website: http://healthychild.org/5steps/5_steps_5/?gclid=CJ2VoYm7w6QCFc1K5wodXkkrDg

PLASTICS ARE HARMFUL?

Yes, that is true.

Did you know that the production of plastics alone are harmful to the evironment? This is not to mention the recyling and incinerating processes thereafter, which causes an enormous amount of enduring pollution.

One source explains, there is an overwhelming amout of plastic wastes floating around in oceans, causing fish to ingest plastic toxins which could potentially make fish unsafe to eat.

Studies have been conducted to conclude that:

Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.
Low quality plastic containers can leach plastic toxins into your food or water, and cause you to ingest them. Others, in common cleaners, can allow your cleaning agent to leach out into the air, and thus allow you to breath in chemical toxins. This most likely will affect the health of weakly-immuned individuals.
Plastic debris, laced with chemicals and often ingested by marine animals, can injure or poison wildlife.
Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.
Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.
So, before you take a drink out of that bottled water, or decide upon buying generic brand cleaners or CLOROX's Green works, look under the lable to see these triagled-numbers (1-7) and their descriptions below. Apparently, it seems as though only 2,4 and 5 are safe to use.

1 PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): AVOID
Common Uses: Soda Bottles, Water Bottles, Cooking Oil Bottles
Concerns: Can leach antimony and phthalates

2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Milk Jugs, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups

3 PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, aka Vinyl): AVOID
Common Uses: Condiment Bottles, Cling Wrap, Teething Rings, Toys, Shower Curtains
Concerns: Can leach lead and phthalates among other things. Can also off-gas toxic chemicals.

4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Produce Bags, Food Storage Containers

5 PP (Polypropylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Bottle Caps, Storage Containers, Dishware

6 PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam): AVOID
Common Uses: Meat Trays, Foam Food Containers & Cups
Concerns: Can leach carcinogenic styrene and estrogenic alkylphenols

7 Other this is a catch-all category which includes:
PC (Polycarbonate): AVOID - can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA). It also includes ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile), Acrylic, and Polyamide. These plastics can be a safer option because they are typically very durable and resistant to high heat resulting in less leaching. Their drawbacks are that they are not typically recyclable and some need additional safety research. New plant-based, biodegradable plastics like PLA (Polylactic Acid) also fall into the #7 category.


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