You Need To Know About Plastic

There’s so many people who has warned about the danger of plastic. But still only few people who cared about this warning.
Plastic is a material that can be found in almost every goods. From drinking bottle, TV, refrigerator, pipe, CD, car, cellphone till pesticide. Therefore we can be definite that we used stuff that contains Bisphenol-A in our daily activity. Things that used plastic and contains Bisphenol-A are Food and beverage industry as container to keep the food, wrapping plastic, mineral water bottle, etc. One test proofed that 95% people had used stuff that contains Bisphenol-A.
Plastic is used cause its light, cheap and not easy to be broken. But plastic also has risk to environment and our family health. Therefore we have to understand about the plastic which safe to used.

What is the meaning of the symbol that we can find on a plastic product?

1. PETE or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), commonly used for clear plastic bottle like a bottle of mineral water, juice bottle and in almost every drinking bottle. Don’t used for warm or hot water. Throw away the bottle if already used for at most 2 times.

2. HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), commonly used for milk bottle. As same as #1 PET, HDPE is recommended just for one time used.

3. V or PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is plastic that hard to be recycled. Its commonly found as cling wrap. PVC contains DEHA which can be leaky to the oily food if warmed. It’s potentially dangerous for lever and kidney.

4. LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) commonly used as a food container or soft drinking bottle. Plastic which have #4 code can be recycled well and also good for other things which need flexibility but strong. This plastic can be said indestructible but it still good for food container.

5. PP (Polypropylene) is the best choice for plastic, especially for food container and drinking bottle and the most important is drinking bottle for baby. The characteristic of this plastic is unclear or cloudy transparent. Find this symbol if you buy things in plastic.

6. PS (Polystyrene) commonly used as Styrofoam food container or disposable drinking bottle. The Polystyrene can leak styrene into food, when it gets contacted. Styrene is dangerous to the brain and nerve system. In addition to food container, styrene also can be found in smoke cigarette, vehicle pollution and building material construction. This substance must be avoid and now many states in America and China already forbid food container with syrofoam material.

7. Other (commonly Polycarbonate) can be found in food or sport water container. Polycarbonate can secrete its main material which is Bisphenol-A to our food that can be potentially damaged our hormone system. Just avoid plastic with Polycarbonate.

There still many plastic goods that don’t mention these symbols, specially the local made plastic. Therefore, when you get unsure don’t but it. Although the plastic with symbol is more expensive, that price is more valuable than our family health.
At last, avoid to use any kind of plastic to microwave. Just use ceramics, glass or pyrex as it replacement.
Don’t throw away your plastic trash (specially with Bisphenol-A) at any place, cause it can soiled water and in the end can soiled each and every drinking water.