The entire day Monday was spent making all sorts of Christmas cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, peanut brittle, and toffee. When I ended up with more cookies than containers, I resorted to plastic storage bags. After reviewing the following article, maybe the storage bags were a better choice, depending upon the number on the bottom of the plastic container…
The article “Cancer from the Kitchen?” by Nicholas D. Kristof was published in The New York Times, December 6, 2009. The author attended a symposium at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, exploring whether certain common chemicals are linked to breast cancer and other ailments.
Kristof stated, “I asked these doctors what they do in their own homes to reduce risks. They said that they avoid microwaving food in plastic or putting plastics in the dishwasher, because heat may cause chemicals to leach out. And the symposium handed out a reminder card listing ‘safer plastics’ as those marked (usually at the bottom of a container) 1, 2, 4 or 5.
It suggests that the “plastics to avoid” are those numbered 3, 6 and 7 (unless they are also marked ‘BPA-free’). Yes, the evidence is uncertain, but my weekend project is to go through containers in our house and toss out 3’s, 6’s and 7’s.”
Spooked about those numbers, I went to Google, typed in “toxic plastic,” and found the following statement on www.theconscientioushome.net :
“You’ve probably heard of Toxic plastic 3 by its other name, PVC, or Vinyl. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is considered by many experts to be the most dangerous, carcinogenic plastic ever created by man. It cannot be recycled. It will sit in our landfills until kingdom come, emitting carcinogenic chemicals into the air, water and soil. And despite the studies showing the incredible toxicity of this substance, the FDA approves it for use in the packaging of our food, our health care products, and our medicines.”
Not only is the “toxic plastic 3” found in plastic containers to hold our Christmas cookies, it is also found in bath products, food containers, and toys.
The sugar in all those Christmas cookies is bad enough. We might want to turn over the plastic container and look to be sure we are not storing them in a # 3, 6, or 7.
