Plastics, food, and toxicity

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by Giambattista, May 30, 2009.

  1. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    2,361
    Well, you're queer and I'm a woman. Why listen to us? I could show five billion sources and be an expert in the field, and John would disagree.
     
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  3. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html

    1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
    Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars.
    GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

    2 High density polyethylene (HDPE)
    Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
    GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

    3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)
    Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
    BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

    4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)

    Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles.
    OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

    5 Polypropylene (PP)

    Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
    OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

    6 Polystyrene (PS)
    Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys)
    BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

    7 Other (usually polycarbonate)
    Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
    BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.

    This one mentioned the hormone "analogs" (or whatever you want to call them). I remember hearing Carol Simontacchi talk about them years ago. She wrote a book about similar things.
    The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
     
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  5. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    I AM queer! Weird that is. Normally I don't apply labels for my sexual preferences, especially not the "g" word. Too loaded, really almost meaningless. Of any word, queer is the most applicable, but only because I'm so gosh darn weird. Why, if I had a dollar for everytime I've been called "weird" in my life, well...
    ... couple hundred dollars at least. Maybe close to a thousand? That's queer money, there!

    Is he just contrarian for the sake of argument? Perhaps he would like to answer for himself?
     
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  7. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    Queer's generally pretty safe and generally not inaccurate.

    I don't know that gay's meaningless; why do you think that?
     
  8. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    About Nalgene bottles:

    http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a...cerns_ripple_over_hard_plastic_water_bottles/
     
  9. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    Stupid oversensitive lab animals.
     
  10. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    I personally just don't like to use it. Perhaps a little more complicated and off-topic for this particular thread. I wouldn't mind explaining somewhere else, but "gayness" has little to do with plastic toxicity!
     
  11. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    Well, that's why humans are able to vote Republican, and lab animals aren't?
     
  12. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    The hell it doesn't. Have you seen Boy George after Taboo?

    Lab animals totally would have voted for the black guy.
     
  13. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    You may be right... (un)fortunately, I'm not sure what Taboo is!
     
  14. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    4,878
    To sum up, I find it too slangy, too broad, too stereotyped, and too ridiculous.
     
  15. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo_(musical)

    Basically, George decided to turn some butch fling's book into a musical. The results were not what I had hoped for, and he attempted to justify it. Better to keep your mouth closed, George.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2009
  16. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    4,878
    That link was non-existent at Wikipedia, it appears!
     
  17. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    Fixed.

    Consider it merciful I'm not singing "Guttersnipe."
     
  18. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    4,878
    5 Polypropylene (PP)
    Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
    OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.



    Right now I'm eating organic black bean soup in a #5 plastic bowl!
     
  19. stateofmind seeker of lies Valued Senior Member

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    1,362
    Do you guys think drinking water out of a plastic bottle would have any harmful effects?
     
  20. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    4,878
    I think most bottled water comes in Type 1 plastic bottles. From what I read, there is very little risk of contamination from them.

    To be safe, I would recommend not letting them get too hot, as heat causes deteriorating of many plastics. Also, I think sunshine (UV rays) is probably not a good thing for plastic either, so try to keep it out of the sun.

    Lastly, as for reusing them, I have heard that it's best to recycle them after so many uses. I don't know about that.

    See the list at the top of this page, as well as the links in the original post for more info. Or better yet, look up the individual formulations.

    http://www.plasticsinfo.org/s_plasticsinfo/sec_generic.asp?CID=657&DID=2605
     
  21. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    No, for the reasons Giambattista listed. Also, you can buy type 1 liners for baby bottles in case you don't want to poison your infant, for the record.
     
  22. CharonZ Registered Senior Member

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    Actually the toxicity in plastics is under ongoing research. The major problem is to associate possible effects of continuous low-dosage exposure. It is rather rare to have direct strong effects that can be easily associate with a specific toxicant exposure. Even the negative effects of mercury or lead in paint took quite a while under the disruptive effects on child health were discerned.
     
  23. Giambattista sssssssssssssssssssssssss sssss Valued Senior Member

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    Good observation!

    I kind of wanted to point that out earlier with the diversion about lead poisoning, that there is a difference between acute toxicity, and long-term or what maybe you could call chronic, cumulative (albeit low-dose) toxicity. The former obviously has marked effects and symptoms. Long term, low dose may have few or difficult to diagnose symptoms. They may be mild and hard to pinpoint, or may exasperate other conditions.

    What you pointed out is part of the larger picture. In our daily modern lives, we are exposed to all sorts of chemicals in varying amounts. Some in larger amounts, some in miniscule (nanogram levels). One or two may not have much effect. Dozens of them on a daily basis may produce health problems that couldn't be pinned on any one chemical specifically.

    So in that respect, taking into account the whole picture as well as the individual chemicals is important.
     

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