Marcella Vonn Harting

HOW TO TELL WHICH PLASTIC CONTAINERS ARE SAFE AND WHICH ONES LEACH CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS INTO YOUR FOOD

BOTTOM LINE/ NATURAL HEALING- SUMMER 2009>3

LATELY, THE NEWS MEDIA IS TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING I'VE BEEN TELLING MY PATIENTS FOR YEARS: PLASTIC CONTAINERS CONTAIN CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS THAT CAN LEACH INTO YOUR FOOD.

THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PLASTIC AND CANCER WAS DISCOVERED IN 1987 AT TUFTS MEDICAL SCHOOL. AT THE TIME, RESEARCHERS THERE WERE CULTURING BREAST CANCER CELLS IN TEST TUBES. AS IT HAPPENED, THOSE TEST TUBES WERE MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. CHEMICALS IN THE PLASTIC LEACHED INTO THE TEST TUBES, CAUSING THE CANCER CELLS TO GROW LIKE CRAZY!

SINCE THEN, DOZENS OF STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THE PLASTIC-CANCER LINK. WE NOW KNOW THAT WHEN LAB ANIMALS ARE EXPOSED TO THESE PLASTIC CHEMICALS, THEY DEVELOP CANCER. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU KEEP FOOD OR WATER IN CERTAIN PLASTICS, SOME OF THE CHEMICALS LEACH INTO THAT FOOD OR WATER.

BUT NOT ALL PLASTIC IS ALIKE. WHILE SOME FORMS OF PLASTIC ARE HIGHLY TOXIC AND HIGHLY VOLATILE, OTHERS ARE SAFER AND MORE STABLE.

HOW CAN YOU TELL WHICH ONES ARE SAFEST AND WHICH ONES ARE DANGEROUS? SIMPLY LOOK AT THE RECYCLING NUMBER ON THE CONTAINER. (IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE TRIANGLE WITH A NUMBER INSIDE IT.) THEN FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:

• CONTAINERS WITH 3,6 OR 7 ON THE BOTTOM ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL. THEY CONTAIN A DANGEROUS AND VOLATILE CHEMICAL CALL BPA, AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS.
• CONTAINERS WITH A 4 OR 5 ON THE BOTTOM ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED SAFE. BUT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY USE THEM SPARINGLY. AND YOU SHOULD NEVER USE THEM TO MICROWAVE.
• CONTAINERS WITH A 1 OR 2 ON THE BOTTOM ARE THE SAFEST. THESE INCLUDE CLEAR WATER CONTAINERS, AS WELL AS MOST CLOUDY CONTAINERS YOU NORMALLY FIND WATER OR MILK IN. THESE CONTAINERS, CALLED PETE AND HDPE, ARE SAFE FOR STORING FOOD AND DRINK. BUT AGAIN, YOU SHOULD NEVER USE THEM TO MICROWAVE.