Pigeons have been deemed a “plague” in Barcelona, spreading disease and pooping all over Gaudi’s beautiful buildings. To curb the destruction, the city is trying to catch 65,000 of the birds, roughly 25% of the pigeon population, over the next year and a half. While some birds are being trapped in traditional cages and relocated outside of the city, others are subject to private pigeon trappers’ kooky catapulted nets.
Continuing on the dangers of plastics, plastics in heated environments (such as microwaves or dishwashers) is another area to watch out for! Even though some plastics are labeled microwave/dishwasher safe, all it means is that it is less likely to heat up. But if they are in contact with food (which does heats up), chemical reactions may occur!
Sometimes the damage to the plastic isn’t obvious, but at high temperatures chemical reactions can occur, invisible stress can happen, and plastics can degrade. Appliance Magazine studied plastics in the dishwasher, and concluded that polycarbonates stood up the best. However, polycarbonates contain BPA (see previous post), a chemical that is linked to developmental, reproductive and immune effects, especially in children. Heat causes BPA and other chemicals to leach at much higher rates, causing concern over washing plastics in the dishwasher.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t just apply to plastic kitchenware, but alsoplastic wraps! Did you know the instructions are to have an inch of separation with food? That’s to prevent it from heating up and leaching into your food! Don’t take my word for it, go read the warning on the packaging!
Taking all this into account, some people recommend to keep plastic out of the dishwasher altogether. Or, to take it a step further, avoid plastics coming into contact with our food, period.
HungryCactus action items:
Don’t put plastics, especially in microwave or dishwasher (bowls, plates, utensils, cutting board, chopsticks)
Safer alternatives: metal, wood, bamboo, glass, stoneware etc.
Don’t use plastic wraps in microwave (even with an inch of separation)
Thinking back, my favorite part of the treatments was definitely watching movies and TV series in the chamber — Planet Earth, Big Bang Theory (Seasons 1 & 2), The Blind Side, Kung Fu Panda, Seven Pounds, Crash and The Pursuit of Happyness. I can still remember at first when my fatigue and headaches were so problematic, I could barely watch even slow paced movies like Planet Earth! Oh how fragile we can become…
And if there’s one thing I really missed while being sick, it would have to be being active. There are so many things I want to get back into…badminton, cooking, hiking, rock climbing, biking, photography etc. Will I be able to do them all this year? I sure hope so!!!
Anyway, it’s good to be back! Thanks for your prayers and support!
I always thought plastics were safe and great….until recently.
Probably the most well known danger in certain plastics (i.e. Nalgene bottles) is chemical leaching — specifically BPA, a type of endocrine disruptors (which act like hormones). For that reason it’s best not to use BPA plastics with food and beverages. Identifying BPA plastic requires understanding the printed recycle signs:
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): AVOID
Common Uses: Soda Bottles, Water Bottles, Cooking Oil Bottles Concerns: Can leach antimony and phthalates.
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Milk Jugs, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, aka Vinyl): AVOID
Common Uses: Condiment Bottles, Cling Wrap, Teething Rings, Toys, Shower Curtains Concerns: Can leach lead and phthalates among other things. Can also off-gas toxic chemicals.
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Produce Bags, Food Storage Containers
PP (Polypropylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Bottle Caps, Storage Containers, Dishware
PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam): AVOID
Common Uses: Meat Trays, Foam Food Containers & Cups Concerns: Can leach carcinogenic styrene and estrogenic alkylphenols
Other this is a catch-all category which includes: PC (Polycarbonate): AVOID – can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA). It also includes ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile), Acrylic, and Polyamide. These plastics can be a safer option because they are typically very durable and resistant to high heat resulting in less leaching. Their drawbacks are that they are not typically recyclable and some need additional safety research. New plant-based, biodegradable plastics like PLA (Polylactic Acid) also fall into the #7 category.
The first 6 recycle signs identify 6 different plastic types, while the 7th is the catch-all category containing all the other plastics not in the first six. Even though BPA plastics fall into #7, not all #7 plastics contains BPA. So the safest way is just not to use plastics, especially #1,3,6,7 (http://healthychild.org/5steps/5_steps_5/)
Check out our latest PSA shot entirely on an iPhone highlighting the amount of food wasted in New York City every day. Visit www.cityharvest.org to learn how you can help us fight hunger in New York City.
And of course nothing beats watching the making….CG ftw!
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): AVOID
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, aka Vinyl): AVOID
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): SAFER
PP (Polypropylene): SAFER
PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam): AVOID
Other this is a catch-all category which includes:
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