3 Tips for Plastic Food Storage
by Jeri Dansky
Plastic food storage is inexpensive and convenient — but is it also a health hazard? As you might suspect, the answer to that question is far from straightforward. As Nicholas Kristof wrote in his New York Times column on chemicals and our health, “One of the conundrums for scientists and journalists alike is how to call prudent attention to murky and uncertain risks, without sensationalizing dangers that may not exist.” But he went on to say the evidence against phthalates, the chemicals used to soften plastics, is mounting, and quoted Dr. Theo Colborn, the founder of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange: “I don’t have plastic food containers in my house. I use glass.”
Much of the current concern about plastics centers around the phthalate bisphenol A, commonly know as BPA, which is found in many hard plastic containers used for food. The FDA has declared that BPA is safe, but recent disclosures show that the FDA relied on information from chemical industry lobbyists to reach that conclusion. In June 2009, the FDA announced it would be reviewing its conclusions.
Many scientists and legislators are concerned about BPA’s toxicity, especially when young children are involved. Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles, Chicago and Minnesota have banned the chemical in baby bottles and sippy cups, and Connecticut has banned BPA in all reusable food and beverage containers.
BPA is found in many polycarbonates; polycarbonates — and some other plastics — have recycling code #7. But BPA has also been found to leach from other plastics when microwaved. “There is no such thing as safe microwaveable plastic,” said Frederick vom Saal, a University of Missouri researcher, quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Caroline Baier-Anderson, a health scientist and an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore concurs. “It is best not to microwave plastics, particularly since alternatives are widely available,” she said in an online discussion hosted by the Washington Post.
So what does that mean for those of us who decide we’d like to avoid the potential problems with plastic food storage? We have three major options when it comes to selecting our food storage containers.
1. Use safer plastic containers. The Green Guide Web site can help you select the safest plastics, and most manufacturers will clearly advertise products that are BPA-free. However, do be aware that labels can’t always be trusted. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that “Canadian regulators have found that baby bottles marketed to parents as ‘BPA free’ may actually contain the chemical bisphenol A.”
2. Use stainless steel containers, such as those from LunchBots or New Wave Enviro.
3. Use glass containers, such as those from Anchor Hocking; the Bake N Store products have glass lids, while others have plastic lids. Pyrex is another option; current Pyrex products have BPA-free plastic lids, but older products — which you might find online or at a garage sale — often have glass lids.
On the Web:
www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/opinion/16kristof.html
tinyurl.com/green-guide-plastics
