Much of modern life is packed and packaged—that’s a simple fact. Within the context of living healthfully, glass, paper, and plastic are part and parcel of daily life and nearly unavoidable if we consume just about anything.

Of these three categories, plastic is by far the most pervasive: Since 1976 it has been the most widely used material in the U.S. It’s also a wild card, with potential health implications ranging from hormone disruption to thyroid damage. To reduce your risk from plastics, play by the numbers.

The Counting Game

Originally developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry, the easy-to-understand plastics recycling code immediately identifies the type of plastic you’re bringing into your life. A quick refresher course follows, with examples of what the plastic is used for and how it may be recycled.

These handy recycling numbers allow you to make informed decisions, based on how and where you’ll be using the plastics in question. Depending on the kind of plastic, contact with food, liquid, or heat, for example, can result in the release of certain toxic chemicals. New and compelling evidence from recent studies and a number of well-informed experts conclude the following:

• #1, #2, #4, and #5 plastics are safer to use (#1 and #2 are the most commonly recycled)
• #3, #6, and #7 plastics should be avoided whenever possible.

The Worst Offenders

Several of these plastics deserve a closer look due to their potential risks.

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride)

Commonly used to package foods and liquids, PVC is also ubiquitous in children’s toys and teethers, plumbing and building materials, and just about everything from paper clips to cosmetics to shower curtains. This chlorinated form of plastic contains numerous toxic chemicals called adipates and phthalates (“plasticizers”), which are used to soften brittle PVC into a more flexible form. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when it comes into contact with food.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recognized the chemical used to make PVC—vinyl chloride—as a known human carcinogen. The European Union has banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate)—the most widely used plasticizer in PVC—in children’s toys.

Earl Gray, PhD, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specialist in hormone-altering chemicals, says there is no doubt that phthalates block male hormones and result in reproductive feminization in lab animals. Recent research at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry found that pregnant women using beauty products containing phthalates had male babies with smaller genitals.

#6 PS (polystyrene)

Styrene is one of the toxins the EPA monitors in our drinking water. Its production also pollutes the atmosphere, destroying the ozone layer. Some compounds leaching from Styrofoam food containers interfere with hormone functions. IARC has identified styrene as a possible human carcinogen.

#7 Other, usually polycarbonate (PC)

Miscellaneous category that includes polycarbonate (PC), which 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.