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The Effects of Plastics on the Body

You might not think anything of drinking a bottle of coke or eating a sandwich wrapped in plastic, but you've probably never considered you might be eating plastic either. However; according to the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) more than 93 percent of persons tested came up positive for plastic found in urine samples.

  1. How Plastics are Made

    • Plastics are formed by the chemical bonding of monomers into polymers. This process can produce either a rigid plastic or, with the additive BPA (Bisphenol A), a more flexible one. These plastics are used to store food, create toys and water bottles, or line metal cans to prevent rust and food contamination.

    Plastic in Food

    • Because plastics are created through a bonding process, they are formed of different elements. Over time, these elements begin to migrate or drift apart; BPA is one of the first to migrate. Loose or free plastic molecules drift into food during motion, heat and use. This means that by heating a baby bottle full of milk, the milk is contaminated with plastic toxins. Because these elements are found in almost all food containers, they can also be found in almost all food, and are known by the FDA as "Food Contact Substances." Low-level poly and BPA levels are projected as safe by the FDA because studies suggested that most plastics and BPAs are quickly broken down into glucuronide and excreted from the body. However, the CDC reports low levels of glucuronide in most urine samples, indicating test subjects were under constant or regular exposure to plastic toxins.

    Effects

    • Fred vom Sal, reproductive biologist at the University of Missouri - Columbia, warns that babies face a higher risk of exposure than adults and the current levels of plastics and BPA in humans is 10 times that which can cause permanent damage in rodents. Studies suggest that plastic exposures can cause cancer, birth defects in unborn children, ulcers, skin disease, endocrine infections, hormonal changes, infertility, obesity, and eye and throat irritation and in some cases diabetes.

    What You Can Do

    • While it is not practical or possible to remove all plastics from use in food, it is possible to lower the ingestions of plastic toxins. Avoiding pre-wrapped meats, removing food from plastic parcels or steel cans before heating, and using non-plastic dish and eating utensils can greatly reduce the plastics in your diet.

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