Thursday, November 19, 2009

Are Plastic Containers Unhealthy?

Dr. Weil's Q&A at
http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/forums/thread.html?docid=THR52089&page=1
advised that "polycarbonate plastic containers may not be safe for storage and transport of food and beverages. Better choices are polypropylene (#5 pp), high-density polyethylene (#2 hdpe), and low-density polyethylene (#4 LDPE)." The answer particularly highlights the risk of insulin resistance i.e. risk of type-2 diabetes associated with using the unsafe plastic bottles. It prompted me to check a government site for more info. And here it is:
http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/plastics_primer0714.pdf
Indeed, only the bottles labeled with #2, #4, or #5 recycling number seem to be relatively safe, if you have to use plastic instead of glass or ceramic containers.

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