I think it's time to bring back FDR's philosophy. Through some of the worst times in US history he kept us even-keeled. The country again needs to start approaching news events calmly.
NPR Morning Report did a story March 4 titled "Plastics New Frontier: No Scary Chemicals". It was an even-handed report on the risks of estrogen activity in plastics and that the actual risks for humans are not clear. It explained that many plastics, even those that are BPA free, can still have high levels of estrogen activity. The NPR report further did an excellent analysis of a new scientific paper on the subject. In summary, the article states that a complex product like a baby bottle can have multiple different types of plastics and 30-100 chemicals. Even if the bottle's materials did not have estrogen-like activity to start with, during normal use the chemicals can change, develop estrogen-like activity and leach out. But there is a company that feels it has an affordable solution to fix this problem (1) .
If you do a search on the Internet for others reporting on the scientific paper you will find headlines like "Plastic Panic" and "More bad health news on the Plastics front" sensationalizing an important scientific issue.
What FDR said many years ago is true today: "All we have to fear is fear itself". When I read those other stories about how plastics have all these estrogens that can cause cancer I have two reactions: my immediate one is the panic many people have which is what the screaming headlines are trying to elicit. The fear is irrational which just proves that those articles are effective. And then there is the rational doctor/scientist reaction that analyzes the data and puts it in perspective.
How can you, a person who deals with plastic every day, begin to even deal with the information? First take the FDR and the NPR approach. Don't give into fear but approach the information in a rational way. Thanks to small business grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (your tax dollars at work) there are reasonable cost-effective methods that big business can take advantage of. While you and I are waiting for business to incorporate those solutions into their manufacturing procedures to make safer bottles, plastic baggies and containers that we use every day, what can we do?
1. Don't panic and look at the big picture as FDR did (with some help from Eleanor, his amazing wife). The biggest risk to your health today is getting in a car accident. So if you really want to increase your life expectancy, keep away from cars!
2. Meanwhile, there are small changes we can make in our lives to limit our exposures to plastics:
a. Wrap our leftovers in foil before putting them in plastic containers.
b. Heat food in glass in the microwave or glass or metal in the oven. Those new plastic containers that can be put in the oven are convenient but at what cost?
c. Plastic bags are being banned in many neighborhood grocery stores. If yours still can use them, it doesn't mean you should. Get in the habit of bringing reusable cloth bags.
d. Use metal water bottles
e. Don't let your baby use a bottle for a pacifier. Your baby does not need a bottle in the car. Decrease their exposure to the amount of time there is a plastic nipple in their mouths. Get them in the habit of drinking sitting down and then going back to their other activities.
f. Use ceramic or glass plates and metal utensils.
g. My husband takes leftovers off the table and puts plastic wrap over the top, just like his mother does. That used to bother me, but it looks like that is probably healthier than my way of transferring the food from the glass bowl and putting it into a plastic container.
These are just a few of my suggestions. What are yours? Please share.
1. I did my homework and I read the article. Here is the citation if you want to read it also: Yang CZ, Yaniger SI, Jordan VC, Klein DJ, Bittner GD 2011. Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved. Environ Health Perspect :-. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220)
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