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Anyone know what I as a consumer what can I do to reduce my risk? Not use plastic water bottles? Not use plastic food containers? Not use plastic knives and for

Anyone know what I as a consumer what can I do to reduce my risk? Not use plastic water bottles? Not use plastic food containers? Not use plastic knives and forks? Plastic bags? Plastic storage containers?

CollinEMac 5y ago
There probably isn't enough research to make any of those claims conclusively yet.
- hammock 5y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle
hammock 5y ago
Learn what PP, ABS, PET, HDPE and LDPE are (the safest plastics), how to spot/identify what items are made out of it, and avoid literally everything else plastic that isn't one of these. Everything you mentioned are actually mostly polyethylene (PE), polypropylene or PET with the exception of plastic utensils which are sometimes made from a hard form of polystyrene, and some takeout food containers.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
Tagbert 5y ago
Besides a general reduction in plastic use, one thing to consider is that plasticizers are more prone to escape the bulk plastic via liquids and under heat. Try to avoid heat and try to use plastics when they will remain dry.
gremloni 5y ago
It’s actually easier than you think to mostly cut out plastic from food and drink. If you mostly cook at home— use paper/cloth bags at the grocery store, buy unprocessed foods, get meat, fish, deli, cheese etc paper wrapped, get drinks in aluminum or glass bottles, use only glass to store and drink water with at home. Some plastic use on processed foods is unavoidable but I’m trying to reduce exposure as much as possible. Another thing is to switch out your shampoo, soaps, dish washing liquid etc. for EWG certified products with no pthalates, parabens etc. Also vinegar instead of disinfectants to clean surfaces in the home.
- tsimionescu 5y ago
  Lots of 'paper' wrapping use a thin coat of plastic to keep the paper from leaking, at least where I live. Glass bottles are pretty rare for drinks these days, though avoiding sugary drinks and drinking tap water instead of bottle water fixes much of that (well, that and alcohol, I suppose). Also, not sure why you would recommend vinegar instead of alcohol. Vinegar is barely a disinfectant, and often leaves residue of its own.
  - handrous 5y ago
    Any recently-built home probably has plastic water supply pipes throughout. They're crazy easy (so, less and less-skilled labor required, so cheaper) to install, and the material's cheap. Unless you custom-build and pay a lot extra for copper, that's almost certainly what you're getting. Most anything canned in aluminum or steel is in contact with the plastic liner that ~all cans have. Veggies, beans, sauces, beer, et c. > Glass bottles are pretty rare for drinks these days You pay extra for it, but you can still easily find mineral water in glass. Soda, too, at least for Coca Cola and a bunch of alternative brands, is easy to find in glass. Beer and wine, obviously, though, at least for wine you pay a premium to get low-end wine in glass rather than in a plastic bag ("box wine").
  - gremloni 5y ago
    But many don’t. It’s usually a wax backing at my grocery store. Glass isn’t all that uncommon and aluminum is ubiquitous. Alcohol works too, just make sure it has no methanol that kids and pets might lick.
mint2 5y ago
if you mean single use plastic food containers and bottles then yes, that is good for more than just personal plastic exposure. Otherwise, definitely don’t heat or use hot stuff in plastics. Unfortunately many non-plastic containers food comes in have linings that can be plastic
trefoiled 5y ago
Because phthalates are ubiquitous, it's good to take a "best bang for your buck" approach when it comes to reducing your exposure to them. The two major things to watch out for are making sure to never heat plastic containers, as other commenters have pointed out, but the second is to very closely watch what you put on your skin. Many cosmetics contain phthalates, and many phthalates are readily absorbed by the skin. It's also important to note that the systemic effects of phthalates include endocrine disruption, and the consequences of the endocrine system being disrupted are potentially severe. There's evidence to link declining testosterone levels in males to plasticizers.
coffeecat 5y ago
* Avoid the use of plastic containers for food/drinks if you can. * If you must use a plastic container, definitely don't heat it up, don't use it for oily foods, wash it before putting your food in it, and try to avoid mechanical stress/deformation while your food is in it. * Avoid canned food if you can, unless you know that the can doesn't have an endocrine-disrupting liner. * Avoid touching receipts if you can. * If you must touch a receipt, make sure your hands are dry while you're touching it, and wash your hands afterward. * Don't buy a new car (outgassing plasticizers are what give it that new car smell). * Don't use scented candles/soap. * Clean up dust in your house regularly.
- Havoc 5y ago
  Pretty sure new car smell these days is just a special deodorant type spray. That’s why refurb cars now come with new car smell too

CollinEMac 5y ago

There probably isn't enough research to make any of those claims conclusively yet.

hammock 5y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle

hammock 5y ago

Learn what PP, ABS, PET, HDPE and LDPE are (the safest plastics), how to spot/identify what items are made out of it, and avoid literally everything else plastic that isn't one of these. Everything you mentioned are actually mostly polyethylene (PE), polypropylene or PET with the exception of plastic utensils which are sometimes made from a hard form of polystyrene, and some takeout food containers.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Tagbert 5y ago

Besides a general reduction in plastic use, one thing to consider is that plasticizers are more prone to escape the bulk plastic via liquids and under heat. Try to avoid heat and try to use plastics when they will remain dry.

gremloni 5y ago

It’s actually easier than you think to mostly cut out plastic from food and drink. If you mostly cook at home— use paper/cloth bags at the grocery store, buy unprocessed foods, get meat, fish, deli, cheese etc paper wrapped, get drinks in aluminum or glass bottles, use only glass to store and drink water with at home. Some plastic use on processed foods is unavoidable but I’m trying to reduce exposure as much as possible. Another thing is to switch out your shampoo, soaps, dish washing liquid etc. for EWG certified products with no pthalates, parabens etc. Also vinegar instead of disinfectants to clean surfaces in the home.

tsimionescu 5y ago
Lots of 'paper' wrapping use a thin coat of plastic to keep the paper from leaking, at least where I live. Glass bottles are pretty rare for drinks these days, though avoiding sugary drinks and drinking tap water instead of bottle water fixes much of that (well, that and alcohol, I suppose). Also, not sure why you would recommend vinegar instead of alcohol. Vinegar is barely a disinfectant, and often leaves residue of its own.
- handrous 5y ago
  Any recently-built home probably has plastic water supply pipes throughout. They're crazy easy (so, less and less-skilled labor required, so cheaper) to install, and the material's cheap. Unless you custom-build and pay a lot extra for copper, that's almost certainly what you're getting. Most anything canned in aluminum or steel is in contact with the plastic liner that ~all cans have. Veggies, beans, sauces, beer, et c. > Glass bottles are pretty rare for drinks these days You pay extra for it, but you can still easily find mineral water in glass. Soda, too, at least for Coca Cola and a bunch of alternative brands, is easy to find in glass. Beer and wine, obviously, though, at least for wine you pay a premium to get low-end wine in glass rather than in a plastic bag ("box wine").
- gremloni 5y ago
  But many don’t. It’s usually a wax backing at my grocery store. Glass isn’t all that uncommon and aluminum is ubiquitous. Alcohol works too, just make sure it has no methanol that kids and pets might lick.

mint2 5y ago

if you mean single use plastic food containers and bottles then yes, that is good for more than just personal plastic exposure. Otherwise, definitely don’t heat or use hot stuff in plastics. Unfortunately many non-plastic containers food comes in have linings that can be plastic

trefoiled 5y ago

Because phthalates are ubiquitous, it's good to take a "best bang for your buck" approach when it comes to reducing your exposure to them. The two major things to watch out for are making sure to never heat plastic containers, as other commenters have pointed out, but the second is to very closely watch what you put on your skin. Many cosmetics contain phthalates, and many phthalates are readily absorbed by the skin. It's also important to note that the systemic effects of phthalates include endocrine disruption, and the consequences of the endocrine system being disrupted are potentially severe. There's evidence to link declining testosterone levels in males to plasticizers.

coffeecat 5y ago

* Avoid the use of plastic containers for food/drinks if you can. * If you must use a plastic container, definitely don't heat it up, don't use it for oily foods, wash it before putting your food in it, and try to avoid mechanical stress/deformation while your food is in it. * Avoid canned food if you can, unless you know that the can doesn't have an endocrine-disrupting liner. * Avoid touching receipts if you can. * If you must touch a receipt, make sure your hands are dry while you're touching it, and wash your hands afterward. * Don't buy a new car (outgassing plasticizers are what give it that new car smell). * Don't use scented candles/soap. * Clean up dust in your house regularly.

Havoc 5y ago
Pretty sure new car smell these days is just a special deodorant type spray. That’s why refurb cars now come with new car smell too