Plastics – Which TO use & which to NOT use

Plastics.  We know they’re bad for you.  But they’re so friggin convenient.  What to do, what to do?!  I’ll be brief and useful.

BPA (Bisphenol-A) is in most plastics.  What is it?  To summarize it is a HORMONAL DISRUPTER that is in almost all plastics.  Many studies in humans to prove BPA is a HORMONAL DISRUPTER.  Examples of just a few BPA exposure causes:

• man boobs in men
• decreased sperm production
• weight gain in women
• menstrual irregularities
• increased inflammation
• autoimmune conditions (ie. rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, thyroiditis, lupus, etc.) 
• kills fish and other marine life.

There are many plastic numbers that are used for recycling purposes.  These numbers are on the bottom or sides of the plastics you use.  I’m not going to bore you with the specifics of each plastic #, so here’s my summary:

• #2, #4, #5 are the least damaging of all the numbered plastics (so if you must use plastic at least make sure you're using one of these). 
• #6, #7 should be avoided.
• #1, #3, must be avoided at all costs.

What about “BPA-free” plastics which are supposed to be heat stable, chemical resistant, and non-hormone disrupters.  An example of BPA-free is Nalgene bottles.  Turns out that recent studies suggest that BPA-free are just as bad as BPA-containing plastic in terms of hormone disruption.

Solution:

• Use stainless steel or glass containers.
• Specific examples: Lunchbots, Klean Kanteen

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