Plastics and Pollution

We have been talking of environmental degradation from 80s.
The situation has only worsened gradually.
I have been and am an antiplastics person all along.
I refuse a plastic shopping bag and carry my material by alternate ways.
Some times the alternative choice makes me look odd!
I don't mind it!!

This plastic in the name of convinience is making the world unlivable!!

I read this article and thought all my friends should read it too!

From Australia

Baby bottles, storage containers, plastic wrap and refillable drink bottles.



Walk into most Australian kitchens and you will find, at least, a few of these plastic items. But there is growing debate about the safety of chemicals found in these household plastic items, and whether these chemicals can migrate into food.


"The biggest concern is these chemicals act as foreign oestrogen. The heightened concern is with pregnant women and infants," says environmental toxicologist Associate Professor Peter Dingle, of Perth's Murdoch University.


By acting as a foreign oestrogen (a female sex hormone), these chemicals can disrupt the body's natural hormone system and create hormone imbalances, leading to a range of health conditions.


In household plastics there are two types of chemicals that mimic oestrogen:


• Bisphenol A (BPA), found in hard plastic polycarbonate containers and bottles (storage containers, drink bottles, baby bottles), and cans with epoxy resin seals (used for acidic foods like tomatoes).


• Plasticisers such as phthalates that are used to make PVC softer (soft containers, plastic wrap) and in seals for screw-cap jars.


Earlier this year, researchers confirmed findings linking BPA to heart disease. This US population-based study is one of many that has found that BPA, and plasticisers, are toxic to the body in large doses and can increase your risk of breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, diabetes, reproductive disorders and developmental problems.


While there is little doubt these chemicals are a health risk, we don't know what amount of exposure to these chemicals is likely to cause health problems.


"Toxicology is a new science, it's evolving and we really don't know a lot about it," says Dingle.


But there are community concerns about the cumulative effects of using plastics.


Ban for under 3s


Last month, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ordered retailers to stop selling certain plastic products for children under three. These items (toys, dummies, feeding equipment) contain more than 1 per cent of the plasticiser diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).


The ban was imposed after research, by the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme, found that chewing or sucking objects containing DEHP for more than 40 minutes a day could increase a young child's risk of reproductive toxicity (that is this exposure could lead to problems with their hormones and reproductive system).


But there are no moves to prohibit other products containing plasticisers or BPA, or to increase labelling requirements on plastic products in Australia.


"On the weight of evidence obtained from an extensive range of studies, BPA is safe for the whole population at the very low levels of current exposure and that is consistent with the views of other authorities," says ACCC deputy chair Peter Kell.


Lydia Buchtmann from Food Standards Australian New Zealand supports Kell's statement and points to research from the European Food Safety Authority. This research found that even if babies drank 80 bottles of milk – from bottles containing BPA – every day for years they would still be under safety limits.


The Canadian government and US Food and Drug Administration have declared that while evidence suggests BPA in current low doses is unlikely to pose health risks, they nonetheless support measures to reduce BPA in the food supply.


Meanwhile, the world's leading scientists and regulatory authorities are still searching for a definitive answer on the safety of household plastics.


What you can do to protect yourself


But we can't replace all plastic baby bottles with glass ones; also plastic wrap does keep food fresh and prevent illness from bacteria; and stainless steel drink bottles don't come cheap enough to replace each week when they are lost in the playground.


So what can you do to reduce the amount of BPA you ingest?


"The overall message is very simple. Never compromise the [safety and freshness of your] food by saying you can't put it into plastic. Nutrition... is so important and plays a role in combating the effects of these chemicals," says Dingle.


"It's not about being paranoid and going to extremes. It's about what you can implement in your life over a short period to have a little impact over a long time."


Some things that can help to limit your exposure to these chemicals include:


• using BPA-free plastic, glass, ceramic and stainless steel feeding or storage equipment (as much as possible)


• not microwaving food in plastic containers


• not putting warm food or drinks into plastic containers


• trying not to store in plastic foods that have more than 4 per cent fat (plasticisers migrate better in fatty foods)


• avoiding fresh meat, fruit or vegetables that have been wrapped in plastic wrap (supermarkets, greengrocers and butchers often use plastic wrap that contains PVC)


• avoiding cheap, imported plastic storage items or any plastic container with a strong chemical or plastic smell.


Changing how you store your food and drinks is the best thing you can do until a definitive answer on the safety of plastics is found, says Queensland toxicologist Emeritus Professor Michael Moore.


Although he says it's unlikely you have condemned yourself or your family to a life of chronic illness if you use plastic.


"When you look at the experimental studies you find that the amount (of chemical) needed for big changes in animals are 100-fold or 1000-fold greater than the measured concentrations in peoples' bodies," he says.


"If people who have been using plastics think, "Have I created a long-term problem?" they can take reassurance from the fact that the amount taken up from the containers is usually pretty small."


This is mind boggling!!
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