Why and How to Avoid Certain Plastics

I first saw the effects of plastics in people's bodies a few years ago in my work as a medical intuitive.  People were coming to me with a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms that were not being diagnosed or identified by standard medical testing. When I accessed the body's wisdom in each of these people, I was shown the presence of plastic material and/or plastic residue in blood streams, organs, and digestive tracts.

During this same period of time, I was being interviewed for my former work as a marine conservationist about environmental pollutants for aquatic animals. In that setting, I met a researcher from the University of Colorado who had been studying the effects of plastics on fish in our Colorado streams. Since then, I have looked more into what our water bottles are leaching into our own bodies.

Each water bottle (including the large bottles from natural spring companies) has a number stamped into the triangle at the bottom of the bottle that indicates the type of plastic used.

Here is a summary of what I have found:

No. 3 is PVC (sometimes labeled as V) for Polyvinyl Chloride. PVC is commonly considered the most damaging of all plastics. It releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment when manufactured or incinerated and can leach phthalates into your system with use.

No. 6 is Polystyrene (PS). You'll mostly find this code on your foam cups and "to go" boxes, as well as some clear cups and containers. Polystyrene can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen.

No. 7 is "other," so this one is a bit confusing. In most cases, a No. 7 is polycarbonate (PC). For years I sipped out of a reusable No. 7 sports bottle, until I learned that polycarbonates can potentially leach bisphenol-A, a known hormone disruptor. Unfortunately, biodegradable plastic made from cornstarch or other plant sugars are also labeled with a No. 7, because it's an "other," but that's a good kind of "other" and usually has the letters PLA for polylactic acid.

Of all the single-use synthetic plastic bottles (as opposed to biodegradable plastics), PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles are generally considered the safest. However, some studies indicate that repeated use of PETE could cause leaching of DEHP, an endocrine-disrupting phthalate and probable human carcinogen.

No. 2 HDPE (high density polyethylene) is also on the "safer" list. Some reusable sports bottles are a No. 2, and these are far preferable to the No. 7 versions.

No. 4 LDPE (low density polyethylene) is considered reasonably safe.

No. 5 PP (polypropylene) is also considered safe.

No. 1 bottles are to be used once and then discarded.

To summarize, the safest products have No. 7 PLA, No. 2, No. 4, or No. 5 stamped into the bottom triangle of the bottles.

You may also decide to use alternatives, such as glass or ceramic containers, to store and heat food; a stainless steel "to-go" coffee cup instead of plastic, and for hikers and bikers, try a stainless steel bottle, like the Klean Kanteen, available at local sporting goods/outdoor stores or at www.kleankanteen.com.

In addition to finding bottles with a number that indicates a safer plastiic, it is also important to know how to clean any plastic. The key is to avoid using harsh detergents to clean plastics.

To get more detail about the research being done on the environmental and health risks associated with plastic, go to www.thegreenguide.com or to www.ourstolenfuture.com. The University of Colorado Physiology Department, as I mentioned, has also done extensive research into the leaching of plastics into our water sources.



When at home, it's best to drink and eat out of glass, ceramic, or stainless steel.