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PLASTIC- FREE
EAT
Healthy, Practical Tips for People and the Planet by Brita Belli
P
lastic is nearly impossible to avoid these days, but we should beware of its health impacts. First, consider that the chemicals that form plastic compounds are let loose when plastic becomes worn, scratched or heated. When we use plas- tic containers for food and drinks and these chemicals are freed up, they can enter our food supply and contribute to a toxic buildup in our bodies. Expo- sure to such chemicals poses particular danger to pregnant women, babies and young children, whose hormone and brain development can be more easily affected by such toxic insults. Next, consider that Americans an- nually send more than 29 million tons of plastic to landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once there, it deteriorates, yet never fully breaks down. Plastic is one of the least recycled forms of packaging, due to its myriad recycling codes and disposable convenience (consider how many of us return plastic grocery bags to the store). Even worse, countless plastic bags, containers, six-pack rings, beverage straws and other plastic human detritus
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have found their way into our oceans. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates there are cur- rently 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. Plastic garbage patches entangle, choke and kill turtles, dolphins and other sea life or, after the eroding effects of sun and saltwater, disintegrate into microscopic plastic pellets consumed by fish, which then wind up on our dinner plates. Here are some ubiquitous plastics of concern and practical ways to avoid using them.
Plastic food storage containers.
With plastic storage containers (par- ticularly polycarbonate plastic, with a 7 recycling number or resin identification code), the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is of primary concern. BPA molecules are linked to form the plastic, but some molecules can escape and leach into food contents. BPA is a known hormone disrup- tor that has been tied to miscarriage, prostate and breast cancer, obesity and in children, behavioral and cogni- tive problems. If the plastic is worn, scratched, repeatedly washed or
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