Plastics vs. the Environment

Plastics “Recycling” Codes:

1	PET or PETE	(Polyethylene Terephthalate)
2	HDPE	(High Density Polyethylene)
3	V	(Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC)
4	LDPE	(Low Density Polyethylene)
5	PP	(Polypropylene)
6	PS	(Polystyrene)
7	Other	(multi-layered plastics)

General Information

Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet (2019 report discussion the plastics production chain, climate impacts and best waste management options for plastics)

Mother Jones magazine reporting

• A Frightening Field Guide to Common Plastics
• The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics
• These Popular Plastic Bottles May Be Messing With Your Hormones

The Problems with Plastics (Ecology Center)

• Berkeley Plastics Task Force
• Report of the Berkeley Plastics Task Force
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• Toxins, Endocrine Disruptors And Carcinogens That Migrate From The Molecules Of Different Plastic Containers To Their Contents
• Adverse Health Effects of Plastics –>

Mindfully.org’s Plastic page and history of Plastics.

My Plastic-Free Life

Plastics that May Be Harmful to Children and Reproductive Health

Plastic Wraps

Warhurst: Chemicals which have been implicated as hormone disrupters (Phthalates, Alkylphenols, Bisphenol-A and more)

BPA-Free Does Not Mean Safe. Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals

Story of Stuff project videos:

• Microfibers
• Microbeads – Let’s Ban the Bead!
• The Story of Bottled Water

Toxic metals in plastics

• Toxic chromium (Cr) in plastic bags: Flow analysis of metals in a municipal solid waste management system 2006 study shows that “Approximately 30% of Cr originated from plastic packaging.” and that “Cr content was extremely high in plastic shopping bags, whose contribution ratio to Cr in plastic packaging was about 80%.”
• Toxic lead is also found in PVC plastics, used as a stabilizer, even in childrens’ toys and PVC venetian blinds
• Toxic antimony can leach from PET plastic, like common water bottles. See links below.
• Antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and other metals found in plastics in this 2000 study published in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry: Characterization of Inorganic Components in Plastic Materials

Recycling

• Plastics Recycling: You’re Doing it Wrong. And So is Everybody Else!
• Recycling Plastics: An Oxymoron
• Seven Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling (Berkeley Plastics Task Force)

Specific Plastics

#1 (PET):

• Polyethylene
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Migration and Toxicity
• [The migration of acetaldehyde from polyethylene terephthalate bottles for fresh beverages containing carbonic acid] (1990 German study); Acetaldehyde is toxic and causes cancer
• Endocrine Disruptors: Estrogens in a Bottle? (Environmental Health Perspectives journal, 2009)
• Endocrine-disrupting compounds: a review of their challenge to sustainable and safe water supply and water reuse (Environmental Health Perspectives journal, 2006)
• PET bottles potential health hazard
  
• Toxic antimony leaches into water from PET bottles:
  • 
    Toxic antimony species found in beverages stored in PET containers (2006)
  • Detection of antimony species in citrus juices and drinking water stored in PET containers
  • Contamination of Canadian and European bottled waters with antimony from PET containers.
  • Contamination of bottled waters with antimony leaching from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) increases upon storage.

#5 (PP):

• Researchers raise alarm after chemical leak found in common plastic

#7 (Other):

• Polycarbonate leaches bisphenol-A when heated (Colborn: Source)

Teflon

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• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Tetrafluoroethylene and Teflon –>
• Mother Jones: Did 3M and DuPont ignore evidence of health risks?
• Teflon mystery raises safety questions
• Environmental Working Group: PFCs Global Contaminants

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http://www.ejnet.org/plastics/