Mothers and Others Magazine

By Allison Sloan

Studies have found that all the plastics commonly used for food
packaging can leach, so the safest bet is to store foods in Pyrex-like
glass or Corningware-type ceramic when possible, and to avoid heating or
microwaving foods in plastic. Also, since most grocery stores use PVC
for their cling-wrapped cheeses and meats, you may want to trim off the
outer layer of these pre-packaged foods to reduce ingestion of DEHA,
which has caused reproductive effects and liver tumors in test animals.
Canned foods, which can contain traces of bisphenol-A from the plastic
inner lining of the can, may also be a source of concern.
However, if by "safer" plastics you mean those that have not YET (to my
knowledge) been found to be leaching chemicals that are suspected
hormone disruptors, they are the following (if anyone on the listserv
has evidence to the contrary, please correct me). Only bottles and
containers are identified by recycling codes, but we (Mothers & Others)
have received information about plastics used from manufacturers of some
unlabeled packaging as well.

#1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET), used to bottle soda pop,
most bottled water and cooking oils, juice, salad dressings, peanut
butter, etc.

#2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), a cloudy or opaque plastic used
for milk jugs, most one-gallon water bottles, and to bottle some foods.

#4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is used for MOST (for other brands,
see PVC) cling wraps and food storage bags, such as Glad wrap,
Handi-Wrap, and Ziploc and Glad bags.

#5: Polypropylene (PP) is a cloudy or opaque plastic used to make many
deli soup containers, most Rubbermaid containers, cloudy plastic baby
bottles, ketchup bottles, and other clouded plastic food bottles.

Plastics that you may want to avoid because they have been found to
leach suspected hormone disruptors are below:

#3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or vinyl) is used to make Reynolds Wrap and
Polyvinyl Films (Stretchtite and Freezetite brands) cling wraps and is
the cling wrap of choice for most grocery stores. PVC can also turn up in the plastic trays in boxed cookies or chocolates, in candy bar wrappers, and occasionally as bottles for grocery items, including large Bertolli Lucca olive oils,
64-ounce Wesson Cooking Oil, and Appalachian Mountain spring water,
among others. Some plastic squeeze bottles are made of PVC as well.

#6: Polystyrene (PS) is most familiar to consumers in its inflated form
as Styrofoam, but non-inflated plastic PS can be found in some brands of
disposable plastic cups and bowls and in most opaque plastic cutlery.

#7: "Other" resins, most typically polycarbonate, from which bisphenol-A
can migrate. Most plastic baby bottles are made of polycarbonate, as are
5-gallon water bottles, clear plastic "sippy" cups for kids, and some brands of
clear plastic cutlery. Other possible sources of bisphenol-A exposure include the
inner lining of food cans and dental sealants.

Allison Sloan
(former staff member) Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet