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INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
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FOOD AND HEALTH PROGRAM
2105 FIRST AVENUE SOUTH
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MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA 55404 USA
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(612) 870-0453
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IATP.ORG
Smart Plastics GuideHealthier Food Uses of Plastics
Environmental problems:
 
Most plastics are maderom petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Plastic packag-ing also creates unnecessary waste. Plastic is bulky—takingup a large volume o landll space.
Health risks:
The use o plastics in cooking and oodstorage can carry health risks, especially when hormone-disrupting chemicals rom some plastics leach into oods andbeverages. Plastic manuacturing and incineration creates airand water pollution, and exposes workers to toxic chemicals.
Choose less polluting products to reduceyour exposure to chemicals.
PVC—THE POISON PLASTIC:
 Polyvinyl chloride, alsoknown as vinyl or PVC, poses risks to the environment andhuman health. PVC is the least recyclable plastic.
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Vinyl chloride workers ace an elevated risk o liver cancer.
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Vinyl chloride manuacturing creates air and waterpollution near the actories, oten located in low-incomeneighborhoods.
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PVC needs additives and stabilizers to make it useable.Lead is oten added or strength, while plasticizers areadded or fexibility. These toxic additives contribute tourther pollution and human exposure.
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Dioxin in air emissions rom PVC manuacturing anddisposal, or rom incineration o PVC products, settles ongrasslands and accumulates in meat and dairy products,and ultimately, in human tissue.
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Dioxin is a known carcinogen. Low-level exposures areassociated with decreased birth weight, learning andbehavioral problems in children, suppressed immuneunction and hormone disruption.
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 What plastic labels mean:
 The recycling symbol is used pri-marily on disposable plastic packaging and single use contain-ers. Non-disposable ood-use goods like dinnerware, pitchers,fatware and baby bottles usually do not have a recycling label.
NOTE:
Not all containers are labeled, and a recycling symbolon a product doesn’t mean it’s recyclable. Commonly, only plastic products labeled #1 and #2 with narrow necks are re-cyclable, but some communities recycle other plastics. Check  with your local municipality or waste disposal company.
PETE:
Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene, used orsot drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner and peanutbutter containers.
HDPE:
High density polyethylene, used in opaqueplastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent andshampoo bottles, and some plastic bags.
PVC or V:
Polyvinyl chloride, used or cling wrap,plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut buttercontainers, and detergent and window cleaner bottles.
LDPE:
Low density polyethylene, used in grocery store bags, most plastic wraps, Ziplock bags andsome bottles.
PP:
 Polypropylene, used in most Rubbermaid, delisoup, syrup and yogurt containers, straws and otherclouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.
PS:
Polystyrene, used in styrooam ood trays, egg car-tons, disposable cups and bowls, carry-out containersand opaque plastic cutlery.
Other:
This is a catch-all category or plastics thatdon’t t into the #1-6 categories. It includes polycar-bonate, bio-based plastics, co-polyester, acrylic,polyamide and plastic mixtures like styrene-acrylo-nitrile resin (SAN). Number 7 plastics are used or a variety o products like baby bottles and “sippy” cups,baby ood jars, 5-gallon water bottles, “sport” waterbottles, plastic dinnerware and clear plastic cutlery.
Plastics are widely used to store and package food and beverages.They are convenient, lightweight, unbreakable and relatively inexpensive. However, there are both environmental and health risks from the widespread use of plastics.
 
Published September 2008
 
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Copyright Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Health concerns with food use of plastics:
A variety o petroleum-based chemicals go into the manuacture o plastics. Some can leach into ood and drinks, and possibly impact human health. Leaching increases when plastic comesin contact with oily or atty oods, during heating and romold or scratched plastic. Use o some detergents can degradeplastic, also allowing the chemicals to leach out. Types o plastics shown to leach toxic chemicals are polycarbonate,PVC and styrene. This does not imply that other plastics areentirely sae; these plastics have just been studied more.
Bisphenol A (BPA)
, a chemical that mimics the action o the human hormone estrogen, can leach rom
polycarbon-ate plastic .
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A Centers or Disease Control study detectedBPA in the urine o 95 percent o adults sampled.
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Scientistshave measured BPA in the blood o pregnant women, in um-bilical cord blood and in the placenta, all at levels shown tocause harm in laboratory animals.
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  While 92 percent o 163 government-unded studies oundsignicant developmental, reproductive or immune eectsrom low-level exposure to BPA, none o the 13 industry-unded studies ound signicant eects.
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 Animal studiesdocument low dose effects at exposure levels hundreds of times lower than the current level considered “safe” by the Environmental Protection Agency .
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Hormones stimulate certain cancers. Bisphenol A stimulatesprostate cancer cells
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and causes breast tissue changes thatresemble early stages o breast cancer in both mice and hu-mans.
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Early lie exposure to BPA can also cause geneticdamage, including chromosomal errors at low levels o expo-sure in mice, which can lead to spontaneous miscarriages andbirth deects.
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In humans, higher BPA levels in urine havebeen associated with ovarian dysunction.
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Another study ound that women with a history o recurrent miscarriageshad over threeold higher levels o BPA in their blood com-pared to women without a miscarriage history.
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DEHA [Di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate]
is one o severalplasticizers (soteners) to which people have daily exposurethrough ood, water, air and consumer products.
PVC cling  wrap
contains DEHA, a hormone-disrupting chemicalthat can leach into oily oods on contact and when heated.DEHA exposure is linked to adverse eects on the liver, kid-ney, spleen, bone ormation and body weight. It is also a pos-sible human carcinogen, aecting the liver.
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Styrene
 
can leach rom
polystyrene plastic .
Styrene is tox-ic to the brain and nervous system among workers with lon-ger-term exposures,
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but also adversely aects red bloodcells, liver, kidneys and the stomach in animal studies.
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Asiderom exposure rom ood containers, children can be exposedto styrene rom secondhand cigarette smoke, o-gassing o building materials, auto exhaust umes and drinking water.
Fetuses and young children at greatest risk:
 Young children’s immature immune sys-tems, rapid development and dierent eat-ing patterns make them more vulnerableto toxic exposures. Child development is adelicate biological process, guided by thebody’s own hormones acting at low levelsand aecting every cell, organ and unction o the humanbody. Exposures to chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A during critical times in development can disrupt the body’snatural signals and cause eects that may not show up ormany years, possibly resulting in diseases such as prostate orbreast cancer later in lie.
Confused about #7 plastic?
 You’re not alone. Just a ew years ago,most #7 plastic was polycarbonate, aplastic we should avoid. Now many new plastics also t into the #7 category. I it’s labeled # 7-PC, it’s unsae polycarbonate. (NOTE: not allpolycarbonate plastics have the PC label.) I it’s labeled “PLA”or “compostable,” it’s a saer, bio-based plastic. Otherwise, you will need to call the manuacturer and ask them what typeo plastic it is. Here are a ew examples o non-polycarbonate(non-BPA) #7 plastics:
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Gerber baby ood containers are an overlay o polypropyl-ene (inside) and polystyrene (outside).
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BornFree baby bottles are made o clear polyamide plastic.
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Polylactic acid (PLA) plastic is made rom corn. Consumerdemand or a new label to identiy bio-based plastics couldhelp distinguish them rom polycarbonate and other #7plastics.
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SAN or Styrene-acrylonitrile resin, a copolymer plasticconsisting o styrene and acrylonitrile.
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Nalgene and Camelbak brand water bottles are now madeo co-polyester.
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Acrylic plastic dinnerware.
 
By choosing safer plastics and limiting plasticwaste, you can support a healthier, cleanerenvironment and protect yourself and yourfamily from unnecessary chemical exposures.You can also support companies and publicpolicies that promote safer plastics.
Published September 2008
 
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Copyright Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
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tips for safer, moresustainable food use of plastics
With your food, use 4, 5, 1 and 2.3 and 6 are not good for you.
 1.
 
 Avoid #7, labeled PC. PC
or polycarbonate plastic canleach harmul bisphenol A (BPA). Other #7 plastics like co-polyester, polyamide, acrylic and polylactic acid (PLA) aresaer choices because they don’t contain BPA.
2.
 Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave.
 Chemicals are released rom plastic when heated. Instead,use glass or ceramic containers, ree o metallic paint. Notethat “microwave sae” does not mean that there is no leach-ing o chemicals. Avoid using or atty oods, because thereis greater leaching o chemicals into atty oods.
3.
 
Beware of cling wraps,
especially or microwave use.Instead use waxed paper, a paper towel or a plate or cover-ing oods. For plastic wrapped deli oods, slice o a thinlayer where the ood came in contact with the plastic and re- wrap in non-PVC plastic wrap or place in a container.
4.
 
Use alternatives to plastic packaging wheneverpossible.
Bring reusable bags or cardboard boxes to thegrocery store. Purchase products with less packaging.
5.
 
 Avoid plastic bottled water
 (unless you’re traveling orlive in an area where the quality o water is questionable).Because it is less regulated, bottled water has less certain pu-rity and saety than tap water, and is much more expensive.I you’re worried about tap water quality, consider installinga home water lter or use an inexpensive lter pitcher.
6.
If you do use plastic water bottles, take precautions. 
Using a rellable water bottle is a good idea, as it reducesplastic waste, saves energy and non-renewable petrochemi-cal resources, and also saves money. I you use a rellable water bottle, avoid polycarbonate (labeled #7 PC) andinstead choose bottles made o stainless steel, glass or saerplastics like co-polyester or polyethylene. I you choose touse a polycarbonate water bottle, avoid use or hot liquidsand avoid placing in the dishwasher to reduce leaching o BPA. Discard worn or scratched bottles. Water bottles rom#1 or 2 plastics are recommended or single use only. For alltypes o plastic, you can reduce bacterial contamination by thoroughly washing daily. However, avoid using harsh deter-gents that can break down the plastic and increase chemicalleaching.
7.
 
Use alternatives to polycarbonate plastic baby bottlesand “sippy” cups. 
Knowing what we do about BPA leach-ing and the real risks to children’s health, it might be surpris-ing to learn that many plastic baby bottles and “sippy” cupsare still made o polycarbonate. Fortunately, there are alter-natives, including baby bottles made o glass, polyethylene,polypropylene or polyamide, as well as “sippy” cups madeo stainless steel or saer plastics. For a complete list o saerbaby products, see Guide to Saer Children’s Products at
 www.healthobservatory.org or www.healthylegacy.org 
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 Avoid buying any products made of PVC
(#3) includ-ing building materials, toys and other consumer products.
9.
Choose bio-based plastic,
now available in a variety o plastic products like cutlery, cups, water bottles and take-outcontainers, or those occasions when it’s necessary to use dis-posable plastic products.
10.
Take action:
Contact companies that make baby bottles, “sippy” cups, baby ood and plastic dinnerware, andurge them to phase out polycarbonate, styrene and PVCin their products. Contact your elected ocials and urgethem to enact policies that protect public health rom toxicchemicals in consumer products, especially those designedor children.
Safer choices for foods and beverages Avoid 
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