Plastic cups & bottles

January 28, 2009

Just the other day, I was on my way to the gym. I went over to my neighbor and work out buddy ready to leave. As we were about to leave, she sees me clean out my Gatorade bottle to fill it with water. She tells me that I should not reuse the bottle since the plastic it is made of is cheap and is released into my water. This s obviously not something I want, but skeptic by nature, I ask her how she knows this. She says that when she used to work as a chemist, one of the tasks that they had was to try different plastics to see how resilient they are towards heat and to different substances. As I know, she has a PHD in chemistry/biology, I trust that she knows what she is talking abut, but I still want to know more.

She tells me that on most plastic bottles there is a triangle with a number within it. This number indicates what quality the plastic is made of. From this we start browsing the internet. We find articles and sites that explain a bit more what the numbers are for and what precautions we should take.

My conclusion from this is to never reuse any bottles with the numbers 1, 3, 6 and 7. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancers in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. BPA can be released out of the plastic, and it can be found in bottles marked 1,6 & 7. I have not found anything indicating that PVC has BPA in it.

Interesting fact is that none of bottles or plastic cups I have/check has the numbers 3 or 4. I have a Gold’s Gym water bottle with a 2 under it, all Gatorade and “spring” water bottles are numbered 1 and a few of the bought cups are marked 5.

Below here are links to the articles I found, I urge you to make your own opinion, but I also think that you should consider your kids and your own safety. I am planning to research this further and if you want me to e-mail you more about this, feel free to visit our site and send us an e-mail.

I will also write more generally about what plastic in our diet does to our bodies. Let us all work together towards a better future!

Here is a better explanation of what the different numbers stand for:

#1 PET (polyethlyene terephthalate), only recommended for a one time use.

#2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), your bottle is fine.

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride), stopped using it to produce toys.

#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), your bottle is fine.

#5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine.

#6 PS/PS-E (polystyrene / expanded polystyrene)

#7 OTHER (resins or multi-materials), not good to use, avoid.

Sources:

http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/17/914073.aspx

Taken from: Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.