PLASTIC WORLD....WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW Until we know further....plastics 2, 4 and 5 are deemed safe to use for us! Plastics Numbers (Resin identification code, SPI resin identification coding system) #1 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) - The use of PET is seen mainly in soda, water and sport drink bottles. It can also be used to make other food containers and trays. It is advised to only use these bottles and products once and then to dispose of them by recycling. These products are safe to use because they are not made with BPA. The only warning with these products is that they do contain other chemicals that can be released when the product is heated, such as in a microwave oven. #2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) - HDPE can be used for multiple products. The most common products are food containers like Tupperware or milk containers. HDPE can even be seen in snowboarding boxes and rails. These products are made from the same components as PET they are just made to be stronger but have all the same warnings and cautions. Only use the product once. Do not heat the product because it may leak certain chemicals. #3 PVC or V (Polyvinyl chloride) - PVC can be found in some toys, clear food packaging and plumbing pipes. Since this is a vinyl product it does contain some chemical additives that control the density of the product. These chemical additives have been known to leak out and cause dangerous affects. PVC can also contain BPA. #4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) - LDPE is made in to many types of bags for food packaging. LDPE does not contain any BPA so it does not pose a risk to consumers. #5 PP (polypropylene) - PP is a plastic that is used for food containers like margarine and can also be made to be clear for food packaging as well. Another use for PP is in cold and warm weather clothing. There is no BPA in PP so it does not pose a risk to the consumer. #6 PS (polystyrene) - PS is one of the most commonly used plastics. When it is made to be solid it can be seen in the production of CD cases and eating utensils. In its expanded for it forms what is referred to as Styrofoam. There are countless uses for Styrofoam and is seen almost everywhere. PS does not contain any BPA but is know to contain other chemicals that are known by the EPA to be a carcinogen in humans. #7 (other) - All other plastics are put into the last category. The potential harm with type 7 plastics is that PC (polycarbonate) is one of the plastics lumped into this category. PC and some other plastics that are labeled with a 7 cab be made from BPA. This type of plastic can pose the greatest risk to consumers. Another issue with these plastics is that when they are heated they can leak out BPA at about 55 times faster.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:50:45 +0000
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