The plastics industry is a well-oiled machine. It relies heavily on a steady supply of petroleum for most of its products, ranging from food packaging and toys to building materials. What seemed so innocent in the earlier part of the 20th century when two young chemists for Phillips Petroleum made a breakthrough development in plastics is, like so much in our modern world, fraught with deeper implications, complications, economic ramifications, and potential health threats.

A major player in the food-packaging industry, plastic is with us from the checkout register to the kitchen counter, impacting our lives and the life of our planet. While the latest developments in technology offer a host of interesting possibilities—from plastic made with a corn additive to a Cornell University–produced form that combines carbon dioxide with orange peel extract—plastic isn’t going to disappear any time soon. Until we complete that journey from the oil fields to the cornfields and orange groves, what do we need to learn about coexisting with plastics?

Check Out the Package

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved all plastics currently used with foods, a number of concerns have been raised about the safety of some packaging. As more traditional materials like glass and paper have been replaced with synthetic polymers, the issue of toxicity has raised its ugly head, particularly when it comes to the softer, more flexible plastics known as thermoplastics. Polyester, polystyrene (Styrofoam), nylon, and Teflon are all thermoplastics, but polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may be the most potentially dangerous. The ubiquitous PVC puts in an appearance in everything from water pipes to beach balls to, yes, food packaging, including cling wrap.

What makes it toxic? PVC’s vinyl chloride molecules are known carcinogens that affect the liver, have been linked to birth defects, and interfere with hormonal activity by imitating or blocking normal signals. Some researchers believe that vinyl chloride is also linked to increased incidences of breast and prostate cancers. These chemicals leach from some types of plastics into our foods and beverages. Toss a little heat and fat into the equation, and you can release a few more chemicals into what you eat and drink.

Play the Numbers Game

A not-so-secret code can help guide concerned consumers through the maze of plastics chemistry. Right on the bottom of every plastic package or container, you’ll see a recycling number, ranging from 1 to 7, that clearly identifies each type of plastic.

Four of the seven categories of recyclable plastic present no known health risks:

#1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
#2 High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
#4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
#5 Polypropylene (PP)

However, you’ll want to avoid the following three categories if possible:

#3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl).
Commonly used in plastic wraps, food containers, soft bottles, and wrappings for meat and cheese, this class of plastics contains phthalates, which are suspected hormone disrupters. “Not only is it made with chlorine, but it also releases dioxins [toxic hydrocarbons] throughout its lifetime,” says Paula Baillie-Hamilton, MD, PhD. “Dioxins have been linked to cancer (such as breast, prostate, and immune system), hormonal imbalances (thyroid gland, infertility), high blood pressure, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, weight problems, and chronic fatigue.”

Phthalates, which make plastic flexible in products ranging from shampoos to floor coverings, have recently been cited in a study that linked their exposure with smaller genitals in infant boys and an increase in testicular cancer among adults.

#6 Polystyrene (PS).
Styrofoam is used in takeout containers and plastic cups and cutlery. Its components can leach into fatty foods and are believed to interfere with hormones.
 

#7 Miscellaneous category that includes polycarbonate (PC).
This is used for most clear-plastic bottles, including 5-gallon water bottles and baby bottles. Heated, these containers release bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone disrupter that imitates the female hormone estradiol and may be linked to breast and ovarian cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found BPA present in the urine of 95 percent of Americans tested.
 

The estrogen imitators in BPA, known as xenoestrogens, crop up in “plastic, industrial waste, meat, soap, pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables, car exhaust, and much of the furniture, paneling, and carpeting in your home and office,” says Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS. They have another, unexpected effect by “contributing to a relatively new condition known as estrogen dominance—one symptom of which is a tendency to gain weight.” Cautions Dr. Gittleman, “Don’t use cling wrap . . . I know it’s convenient and ubiquitous . . . but that particular type of soft plastic will only encourage toxins to migrate from the plastic right into your food.”
 

“The chemicals in plastic are highly fat soluble,” says Dr. Baillie-Hamilton, “so any fatty food placed in direct contact with plastic will act like blotting paper and absorb the toxins directly.” While the health risks from plastic are considered moderate, “their extensive presence ensures that they are a constant source of metabolic and hormonal disruption in our bodies,” she adds.

Take 6 Simple Steps
 

The following tips can minimize your exposure to certain plastics and their health risks:
 

1. Choose commonly recycled #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE) packaging. Roughly 90 percent of all health food products are packaged in these two forms of plastic, which the Green Guide recommends along with #4 (LDPE).
2. Buy in bulk and take your own glass, paper, or metal containers when you shop.
3. Throw out old or scratched plastic containers and invest in glass instead.
4. Buy cellulose bags or wax paper rather than plastic wrap to store food.
5. If you must microwave, use ceramic or glass cookware instead of plastic wrap or plastic containers. (Remember, plastic that’s “microwavable” simply means it won’t melt, not that chemicals won’t leach into your food.)
6. Avoid plastic baby bottles imprinted with the #7 recycling code.