Ditch the #7

I've written about plastic before. Ways to use less of it and why you should. I've also written about the dangers, but that point may have been too buried to come across clearly.

I'm writing again with one simple request: flip over the bottom of your plastic - probably rigid cups, most likely the cute ones your kids drink from. Check the baby bottles too.

If it's got this symbol on the bottom, take it immediately to the recycle bin (if they recycle #7 where you live - many places do not) or put it in the trash. If it doesn't have any symbol on the bottom but is rigid and usually clear, it may be #7.

This type of plastic contains bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic substance believed to cause neural and developmental problems, including early puberty.

You may think this is all hype and that I'm on my pedestal again. The latter is most certainly true, but judge the former for yourself by reading this report about BPA from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Do you own research, but if you are saying to yourself "how could this be dangerous? Wouldn't it be banned if it were harmful?" recall Thalidomide, Vioxx and numerous other drugs once prescribed but later banned because of their negative effects. Also consider the Tuskegee experiments and socio-economic profiling in military recruiting. There is perhaps no other area in which the government is more effective than in not protecting its citizens from itself.

There are many great BPA-free alternatives, stainless steel bottles from SIGG being my favorite. Although personally I try to avoid plastic altogether, there are safer plastics available for those who like the convenience. More and more items are labeled "BPA-free" and I predict it won't be long until it is banned in food containers altogether, as it recently was in Canada.