the rant against plastic continues

A Canadian friend sent me a copy of Azure Magazine, a big glossy design mag with fantastic ads. In it, incongruously, is a great article about plastic, Water to Go (Sept. 2006), mainly as it pertains to bottled water. Here are some high points.

North Americans drink bottled water for fear of contaminants in tap water. Europeans drink it because of the taste -- they have a palate for the mineral content. Plastic is the dominant packaging, but the article points out that phthalates, additives to plastic such as polyvinyl chloride, "are known to leach into water and are considered hazardous."

Then, they give the resin codes and breakdowns.

1 PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a member of the polyester family) is the most common plastic used in bottled water. It leaches the metal antimony, a suspected carcinogen, over time, according to a University of Heidelberg study published in Journal of Environmental Monitoring in 2006.

2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) used for containers, bags, piping, and so on. It's "relatively safe."

3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) leaches Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, which adds flexibility to plastic, should be "avoided at all costs." It contains an endocrine-disrupting compound that is hazardous to boys and young men, according to Dr. Frederick vom Saal, a biological science researcher at the University of Missouri.

4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) is a soft, pliable plastic used in plastic bags and food containers. No info.

5 PP (polypropylene or polypropene) used for food packaging, textiles, automotive components and reusable containers of various types. "Relatively safe."

6 polystyrene is a hard plastic used for CD cases, and can be expanded by heat ("extruded") into foam, Styrofoam. Which, oops, is toxic.

7 other: hard, glass-like clear plastic made from acrylic, polycarbonate, polylactic acid, nylon, and fiberglass. Usually not recycled, this plastic does not need to carry a number on teh bottom, but if it's hard and glass-like, it's probably in this class. When heated, polycarbonate bottles "release biphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting agent linked to reproductive and developmental problems and cancer." Originally, the material was researched as a birth-control chemical.

As I read this, I realize I must give up my Brita water filter. It is hard and glass-like, so most likely polycarbonate, and it's aging, so it's leaching BPA more rapidly than a newer pitcher. There are also dangers, I read, of the charcoal filters "leaching accumulated chemicals", and it incubates bacteria because I keep it at room temperature. (I dislike cold water.) The problem is, it's relatively inexpensive and I like the taste of the water that comes out of it. What about lead? I live in an older building, which likely have lead solders on the pipes. Is leaching and incubation worse than lead poisoning? It's like the old Joe Jackson song: everything gives you cancer. There's no cure, there's no answer (refrain). I'll toast to that. Even the water cooler at work isn't safe. Those big bottles? BPA-leaching polycarbonate.

We can make antimony-free polyester; the article suggests the same process could be used to manufacture antimony-free PET, so the plastic industry can continue to help me meet my food-containing needs. Problem is, there are no safety guidelines for BPA or antimony ingestion, so there's little oversight or demand for change. So I guess that leaves me with Sig water bottles and tap water. Cheers!