Look inside an everyday kitchen and you'll find plastic containers, cling wrap and water bottles, plastic item next to plastic item. It makes it easy to store food, but what price do we pay for the convenience?
TODAY nutritionist Joanna McMillan chats about the chemicals we don’t know about.
There is growing concern over the chemicals Bisphenol-A and Phthalates found in everyday plastics. Research links these chemicals to medical problems including various cancers types, hyperactivity and other behavioural problems. The two most dangerous scenarios associated with these chemicals are reheating food, and feeding babies. As none of the dangerous plastics are necessary in day-to-day life, it's better to play it safe, and be aware of the plastics in your home.
The facts
Bisphenol-A (Also known as BPA)
- There is the most concern over the side effects of BPA
- On a global scale it's estimated that more than 2.5 million tonnes of BPA is produced every year.
- It is so widely used because of its hard-to-beat qualities for creating a hard, clear and almost unbreakable plastic.
Found in
- Drink bottles, food containers, plastic wrap, babies' bottles and children's sippy cups.
- Used to line some food cans to help prevent corrosion and food contamination, and plastic tableware.
Official advice
- The weight of scientific evidence currently available indicates that BPA in plastics does not present a risk to human health.
- Issued by Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mark Butler on July 2.
- Decision to phase out baby bottle containing BPA from July 1.
- Australia is following the US Food and Drug Administration's lead.
Cause for concern
- BPA is what is known as an endocrine disrupter (it interrupts hormones). It mimics the natural female hormone oestrogen, research says its feminising young boys, and increasing the risk of breast cancer in girls, and has been linked to various cancers types, hyperactivity and other behavioural problems.
- Laboratory and animal studies have linked the chemical to breast and prostate cancer, to decreased sperm counts in rats and to altered menstrual cycles and diabetes in developing mice.
Babies
- The greatest risk is undeniably to infants and young children, both because they are likely to have a higher exposure than adults, given that so many of their bottles and cups are made using BPA, and because the dose to body size is so much greater.
- Australia's major retail chains have agreed to not introduce new stock of the bottles which contain Bisphenol A (BPA).
Heat and plastics
- Heating or placing hot food or liquids in PC plastics may increase the risk.
- This means leaving water bottles in the sun, reheating meals in takeaway containers, or reheating meals with cling wrap on them.
- A study released earlier this year by the University of Cincinnati showed that when exposed to hot liquids the leaching was some 55 times faster.
- BPA is more likely to leech from containers when heated.
Phthalates
- Primarily used in plastic products to make it soft and flexible. They are not chemically bound to plastics, and are easily released in the environment.
Found in
- They are used in a wide range of things from perfumes to anything containing artificial fragrance, such as, deodorants, shaving cream, shampoos, cosmetics, air fresheners and many candles. There are also toys manufactured from products containing phthalates.
Cause for concern
- Anti-chemical lobbyists cite animal research studies showing high doses of phthalates can disrupt an animal's reproductive system and in some cases cause cancer. However, safety reviews from both the European Union and the US expert panels have so far concluded that such effects are not seen in humans, at least at the doses we may be exposed to (considerably less than in the animal studies).
Babies
- However, these were not thought to come from PVC products, but from baby shampoo, baby powder and baby lotion. It seems that it's not just food and drink receptacles that may be hazardous.
Reducing your exposure
1. Avoid plastics with the numbers 3, 6 and 7 on them. The good plastics have the numbers 2, 4 and 5.
2. Don't reuse water bottles, buy a re-useable stainless steel water bottle.
3. When reheating food and drink, don't use takeaway containers or cling wrap. Make sure you have plastic containers that say they are microwave safe, or display the number 5. To be totally safe, use glass or ceramic containers.
4. Use microwave safe cling wrap. Make sure it doesn't have contact with your food while heating.
5. Check your children's plastic cups, drinking bottles and bowls and throw away those with the recycle number 7 or with no identification.
6. For storing food or drink, use glass or ceramic, or check your containers are made of the safer plastics with the numbers 2, 4 or 5.
7. Make sure your baby has a BPA-free bottle.
8. Only put plastics clearly labelled dishwasher safe in the dishwasher - because of the heat.
9. Buy your meat and fish from the butcher and fishmonger to avoid plastic packaging used by the supermarkets.
