Is your plastic bottle safe? Kelalang Kon Thursday 23 February 2012 0 comments

Have you ever noticed a number surrounded by the little recycling symbol on your plastic bottle? Do you know what this number means? The numbers are actually a resin identification coding system associated with the type of plastic used in the container. The numbers are from 1 to 7, reflecting seven different type of plastic available in the market. These number tell the recycle center what kind of plastic the container is made of and they also tell the consumer whether there is known potential health hazard.

What does this number mean?

Code 1 

Polyethylene terephtalate (PET) : Most disposable soda and water bottle are made from this plastic. It is lightweight and it’s usually clear. This plastic is considered generally safe but it is not advisable to re-use this bottle

Code 2 

High density polyethylene (HDPE). It is used for milk jugs, detergent bottle, juice bottle and toiletries bottle. It is considered safe and have no known health hazard

Code 3 

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) : This material is usually used as food wrap, plumbing pipes and toys and bottles. PVC do have known potential hazard. PVC plastic requires large amount of toxic additives to make it stable and usable. These additives are released during use and disposal, resulting in elevated human exposures to phtalates, lead, cadmium and other toxic chemical.

Code 4 

Low density Polyethylene (LDPE) : It is used to make plastic bags, various containers, dispensing bottles and wash bottle. This LDPE is considered safe

Code 5 

Polypropylene : This material is used as food containers, dishware, yogurt cup, water bottle with cloudy finish and medicine bottle. This material is  considered safe.

Code 6

polystrene or styrofoam : It is used to make disposable spoon, foam cups and disposable food container and packaging. A chemical used in styrofoam (styrene) is believed to be carcinogen and can damage the brain and nervous system.

Code7

Other Resins and Polycarbonate (PC). PC is widely used for water bottles (multi-galon containers). PC plastic may leach bisphenol A (BPA). Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children.

Before using any plastic bottle,  check the recycle number on all your plastic food container and try to avoid plastic containers with code 3, 6 and 7. As alternative you could store your food and water in a glass or ceramic container.

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