In my quest to eliminate the obvious toxins from my daily life I have been slowly starting to wean myself off of drinking from plastic cups. Trouble was I really didn’t know which plastics were considered to be harmful. But, as always with a little internet research I was able to unearth this information:
Plastics to avoid
The following plastics have been shown to release BPA, a hormone disruptor which should be avoided:
- Polycarbonate, plastics with #7, #3, or #6 imprinted on them.
- PVC Vinyl #3 (smelly vinyl products like shower curtain probably fall into this category) (My rule of thumb now with vinyl is that if it smells toxic, it probably is toxic)
Plastics that are safe
For now, the following plastics seem to be O.K.:
- Polyethylene (#2, HDPE) and polypropylene (#5) plastics
- Non-pvc cling wrap
For the record, the hard colored plastic bottle that I have been using religiously for the past 4 years is made of polycarbonate which is NOT safe!!!
I am going to be looking into a stainless steel replacement ASAP. If you decide to do the same, make sure it does not have a plastic liner as I noticed many of the stainless steel mugs that I had in my cabinet were lined with a questionable layer of plastic.
SOURCE: National Geographic
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/91/sloanplastics
Hi Michelle,
I was just curious if you have replaced your plastic water bottles yet. I am inclined to do so as well, but those nice stainless ones are quite pricey.
~Kim
PS-I love your blog!
Hi Kim,
You are right – the stainless steel bottles are really expensive. I was very surprised to find that. I did find a cheap #2 Plastic bottle at Walmart that was just the right size for me (32 ounces). But, I have still kept my eye out for better options since I am still not sure that even the #2 plastic is totally safe. When I am home I just make sure to always drink from glass.
Thanks for the comment
-Michelle