{"id":2621,"date":"2024-04-17T21:02:58","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T21:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/?p=2621"},"modified":"2024-01-04T16:12:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T16:12:06","slug":"plastic-dangerous-to-your-health-and-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/?p=2621","title":{"rendered":"Plastic: Dangerous to Your Health and the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phthalates are a class of chemicals found in many personal care\u00a0products such as shampoo and lipstick, as well as in food\u00a0packaging, vinyl flooring and car interiors. Studies suggest that\u00a0phthalates may alter hormone function and could contribute to the\u00a0development of asthma, obesity, diabetes and infertility. However,\u00a0since phthalates are excreted from the body in about a day,\u00a0researchers don\u2019t yet know how exposure affects health over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe suspect there\u2019s greater vulnerability in prenatal exposure\u00a0and exposure during puberty,\u201d says Leonardo Trasande, M.D.,\u00a0MPP, director of the Center for the Investigation of Environmental\u00a0Hazards at New York University. \u201cBut without data on [lifetime]\u00a0exposure, it\u2019s difficult to make heads or tails of the risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it\u2019s pretty much impossible to avoid using\u00a0plastic or items containing phthalates since they are so\u00a0widespread, but you can be proactive about limiting your\u00a0exposure. Divine what\u2019s safe(r) by looking at the number inside\u00a0the recycling triangle on any plastic product.<\/p>\n

Types of Plastic<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. PET or PETE.<\/strong> Polyethylene terephthalate is benign unless heated or scratched, in which case it could leach chemicals into food and beverages. It is used in many water and juice bottles and is recyclable.<\/li>\n
  2. HDPE.<\/strong> High-density polyethylene is used to make milk jugs, shampoo bottles and detergent containers. It has a low risk of leaching and is recyclable.<\/li>\n
  3. PVC.<\/strong> Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride materials typically contain phthalates, which are a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. It is commonly found in toys, plastic wrap, food containers, shower curtains, lotions and candles. It is not safe for cooking and is not recyclable.<\/li>\n
  4. LDPE.<\/strong> Low-density polypropylene is used to make plastic grocery bags, squeezable bottles and reusable food containers. It is relatively safe and is sometimes recyclable.<\/li>\n
  5. PP.<\/strong> Polypropylene is found in yogurt containers, baby bottles, medicine bottles and microwave-safe containers. It is recyclable.<\/li>\n
  6. PS.<\/strong> Polystyrene is used to make Styrofoam items, packing peanuts and plastic cutlery. It has been found to leach styrene, a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen that has been banned in many cities. It is very difficult to recycle.<\/li>\n
  7. BPA, PC (polycarbonate) or \u201cOther.\u201d<\/strong> Items in this catch-all category contain polycarbonate, which is used in water bottles, DVDs, computer parts and sports equipment. PC can leach bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen. Most items in this category cannot be recycled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Phthalates are a class of chemicals found in many personal care\u00a0products such as shampoo and lipstick, as well as in food\u00a0packaging, vinyl flooring and car interiors. Studies suggest that\u00a0phthalates may alter hormone function and could contribute to the\u00a0development of asthma, obesity, diabetes and infertility. However,\u00a0since phthalates are excreted from the body in about a day,\u00a0researchers don\u2019t yet know how exposure affects health over time. \u201cWe suspect there\u2019s greater vulnerability in prenatal exposure\u00a0and exposure during puberty,\u201d says Leonardo Trasande, M.D.,\u00a0MPP, director of the Center for the Investigation of Environmental\u00a0Hazards at New York University. \u201cBut without data on [lifetime]\u00a0exposure, it\u2019s difficult to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2621"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2948,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621\/revisions\/2948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}