Plastics from containers, packaging, decorations and furniture are an integral part of the modern era, but in turn they are a killer of wildlife and a threat to the stability of the climate on the planet. Rather, they have become a source of concern for human health if they drink water from a plastic bottle or eat ice cream in a box instead of conical biscuits. Believing that he chooses the best for his health.
In fact, a person does not need to work in plastic factories to be affected by harmful volatile chemicals, because the use of plastic and direct exposure to chemicals associated with its manufacture, such as Bisphenol, and phthalates cause a high risk of heart disease, cancer and blood vessels in humans. But the arrival of these substances into the human stomach has been a mystery for years.
Plastic in our gut
While air, dust and water are other potential sources of exposure to toxic plastic components, foods and beverages are responsible for the majority of daily human exposure to BPA, but what nutrition experts are most concerned about is that these substances get into urine samples of 93% of individuals 6 years of age and older. As revealed by a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
Not only urine, these substances reached the mother's breast milk and fetuses, and newborns were affected more than adults with the potential harm, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH).
Water bottles and food and beverage packaging contain bisphenol, which is classified as an endocrine disruptor (Reuters)
The latest and worst of what a medical team at the University of California School of Medicine found this December was that phthalates (a chemical used to make plastics more durable) raised cholesterol levels in blood plasma.
The exposure of experimental mice to phthalates in the study caused a disturbance in their blood lipids, and the team found in their intestines waxy fat particles associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans.
Despite the continuous underestimation of the ability of plastic to raise cancer rates, in 2020, the US National Library of Medicine published the results of a study that demonstrated a direct link between packaged and canned foods and plastic utensils and the risk of breast cancer.
The study confirmed that food packaging with plastic is the main source of human exposure to bisphenol, a chemical classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency “EDC” (EDC) as an endocrine disruptor and a cause of estrogen-like disorders. It is found in water bottles, toys and CDs. Food and beverage wrappers, plastic cutlery, food cans, and baby bottles.
BPA decomposes quickly and mixes with food with the help of heat, acids and alkaline substances, and this occurs during the stages of food preparation, transportation and storage, and BPA is found in every package that enters the human diet, and this substance caused the multiplication of cancer cells even with lower doses than what the Food Administration considers The US drug "FDA" (FDA) is safe for consumption.
BPA is found in every package that enters the human diet (Shutterstock)
How do you protect yourself?
While it is impossible to completely avoid all plastic products, you can use as little plastic as possible with simple steps, especially if a family member is an infant or a pregnant woman:
Place food and drinks in pots, pans, glass, ceramic, enameled metal, or stainless steel whenever possible. You should do this with hot foods, as the leaching of contaminants from plastic may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than on the age of the container .
Carry a glass, steel or ceramic water bottle filled with filtered tap water, reduce the amount of canned foods you eat and the amount of canned formula your baby uses, and buy baby bottles that say "BPA-free".
Don't refill store-bought soda and water, and don't expose your food purchases to sunlight or heat.
Pay attention to the numbers written on the plastic packages with the recycling mark, the number (1) and (3) mean a warning against this package touching your foods, and you usually find it on detergent packages, packages with number (2), (4) and (5) can be purchased at The urgent need for the product, as long as the owner of the number is a symbol of a green leaf or "PLA", and those numbers are usually on juice and dairy boxes, and they cannot be reused.
Use moisture-proof tarpaulin paper instead of plastic wrap, use glass and ceramic bowls for the microwave, buy a duffel bag for shopping instead of grocery bags, and generally avoid having plastic next to your food.