Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET):

Typically used to make bottles for soft drinks, water, juice, mouthwash, sports drinks and containers for condiments like ketchup, salad dressing, jelly and jam, PET is considered safe. One study that looked at 63 brands of bottled water produced in Europe and Canada found concentrations of antimony that were more than 100 times the typical level found in clean groundwater (2 parts per trillion).

It also found that the longer a bottle of water sits on a shelf in a grocery store or your refrigerator the greater the dose of antimony present. It is believed that the amount of antimony leaching from these PET bottles differs based on exposure to sunlight, higher temperatures, and varying pH levels. Brominated compounds have also been found to leach into PET bottles. Bromine is known to act as a central nervous system depressant, and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE):

HDPE, which is considered a low-hazard plastic, is often used for milk, water and juice bottles, as well as bottles for cleaning supplies and shampoo. It’s also used to make grocery bags and cereal box liners. HDPE (like most plastics) has been found to release estrogenic chemicals. In one study, 95 percent of all plastic products tested were positive for estrogenic activity, meaning they can potentially disrupt your hormones and even alter the structure of human cells, posing risks to infants and children. In this particular study, even products that claimed to be free of the common plastic toxicant bisphenoI-A (BPA) still tested positive for other estrogenic chemicals.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC):     

PVC plastic can be rigid or flexible, and is commonly found in bags for bedding, shrink wrap, deli and meat wrap, plastic toys, table cloths and blister packs used to store medications. PVC contains toxic chemicals including DEHP, a type of phthalate used as a plastics softener. phthalates are one of the groups of “gender- bending” chemicals causing males of many species to become more female. These chemicals have disrupted the endocrine systems of wildlife, causing testicular cancer, genital deformations, low sperm counts and infertility in a number of species, including polar bears, deer, whales and otters, just to name a few.

Scientists believe phthalates are responsible for a similar pattern of adverse effects in humans as well. If your home contains soft, flexible plastic flooring, such as vinyl or those padded play-mat floors for kids (often used in day cares and kindergartens, too), there’s a good chance it is also made from toxic PVC. PVC flooring has been linked to chronic diseases including allergies, asthma and autism.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE):

Another plastic that is considered a low hazard, LDPE is used in bags for bread, newspapers, fresh produce, household garbage and frozen foods, as well as in paper milk cartons and hot and cold beverage cups. While LDPE does not contain BPA, it may pose risks of leaching estrogenic chemicals, similar to HDPE.

Polypropylene (PP):

PP plastic is used to make containers for yogurt, deli foods, medications and takeout meals. While polypropylene is said to have a high heat tolerance making it unlikely to leach chemicals, at least one study found that PP plastic were used for laboratory studies did leach at least two chemicals.

Polystyrene (PS):

Polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, is used to make cups, plates, bowls, take-out containers, meat trays and more Polystyrene is known to leach styrene, which can damage your nervous system and is linked to cancer, into your food. Temperature has been found to play a role in how much styrene leaches polystyrene containers, which means using them for hot foods and beverages (such as hot coffee in a polystyrene cup) may be worst of all.

Other:

This is a catch all designation used to describe product made from other plastic resins not described  above, or those made from a combination of plastics. It’s difficult to know for sure what types of toxins may be in # 7 plastic s, but there’s a good chance it often contains BPA or the new, equally concerning chemical on the block in the bisphenol class known as Bisphenol-S (BPS).BPA and BPS are endocrine disrupters, which means they mimic or interfere with your body’s hormones and “disrupts” your endocrine system The glands of your endocrine system and the hormones  they release are instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes

Some of the greatest concern surrounds early life, in utero exposure to bisphenol compounds, which can lead to chromosomal errors in developing fetus, causing spontaneous miscarriages and genetic damage But evidence is also very strong showing these chemicals are influencing adults and children, too, and leading to decreased sperm quality, early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian disfunction, cancer and heart disease, among numerous other health problems.

Plastic Alternatives

While we recognize the need for plastic products in our homes, in light of the tremendous ecological impact throughout plastic’s life cycle, we are compelled to select plastic alternatives when possible. In many cases, we can elect to utilize a different material altogether; examples of plastic alternatives include using straw or cellulose-based insulation in walls and roofs and mineral board insulation below basement walls instead of foam insulation, using wood or cement-board siding or plaster as an exterior finish instead of vinyl, and using clay, lime, or casein-based finishes instead of acrylic or latex paints. In other cases, our best option may be to replace a more toxic plastic, such as PVC, with a less toxic one, such as polyethylene, ABS, or metallocene polyolefin (a newly developed plastic of lesser environmental footprint) pipe instead of PVC pipe, fiberglass instead of PVC window profiles, polyethylene instead of PVC-jacketed wire, or polyester instead of PVC commercial wall coverings, The field of bio-plastics is also growing rapidly. These products have the benefits of being nonpetroleum in feedstock, supportive of the farm sector (although LCA must also evaluate industrialized farming practices), and perhaps most importantly, biodegradable. Additionally, vegetable oils, such as soy have been proven to effectively replace phthalates as plasticizers in PVC, reducing its POP load.

References  

1. Das Sharma, P (2008, October 6). Keeping World Environment Safer and Greener. Retrieved from https://saferenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/plastic-wastes-%E2%80%93-reduce-reuse-and-recycle-…
2. https://saferenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/plastic-wastes-%E2%80%93-reduce-reuse-and-recycle-… 

3. The Natural Building Companion by Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McAleton, published by Chelsea green publishing, 2012.