Is plastic screwing with your hormones?

Plastic is universal and is very much a part of daily life in our modern society. It can be found everywhere, from baby nappies and sanitary products to our morning coffee in its takeaway cup. On the surface this seems okay, and plastic is super handy because it doesn’t break and is very portable. This is especially so if you are a mum of little people! However, we know plastic has a huge environmental effect and doesn’t ever biodegrade. Also, we often aren’t aware that plastic contains chemicals that leach from the plastic and lodge inside of our bodies, disrupting every system in the body. The endocrine system is particularly affected, with hormone and fertility issues being a big concern. We are going to look at this today, what conditions create the perfect environment for plastic to release its chemicals, and what you can do about it.

Firstly, let’s look at what chemicals we find in plastic. The big offender that most people have heard about today is Bisphenol-A (BPA), however there are also other components of plastic that are harmful. These include all the various types of BPA = BPA-B, BPA-C, BPA-D and a whole host of other chemicals too. BPA has been linked to disease states in our immune system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system and more. Cancer, infertility, and foetal development are big areas for concern, particularly because BPA has the ability to act like estrogen in the body. When the body has an excess of estrogen, whether its natural estrogen or from sources like plastic, disease states and imbalances can occur. Phthalates are also of concern, they are chemicals that are used to synthesise plastic, and they have also been associated with fertility and hormone issues in humans.

Let’s take a look at how these dangerous components of plastic can be released into your food and drinks, and ultimately end up in your body.

How does plastic leach chemicals?

For plastic to leach its chemicals it needs certain conditions. These are:

Heat – heating up food in plastic containers, drinking from takeaway coffee cups, or leaving plastic water bottles in the sun will all create chemical leaching.

Oil – if you have oily or fatty food in a plastic container, this will encourage the fat-soluble BPAs to leach out into the food.

Acidity – acidic food in a plastic container will also promote the leaching of chemicals into the food. Vinegars, tomatoes, citrus and other acidic foods will do this.

Damage – damage plastic containers will leach their chemicals much easier than undamaged containers. Make sure that any plastic containers you do keep are not damaged in any way.

What can you do instead?

The best course of action is to assess what plastics you have in your life and minimize them as much as possible. The big-ticket things that will have the biggest impact in removing are:

·       Get rid of all plastic water bottles. Replace them with stainless steel or glass. You can also buy glass baby bottles for formula and breast milk.

·       Get rid of plastic food containers and replace them with glass ones. If you do keep some plastic ones, don’t put hot food in them, and definitely don’t heat them in the microwave.

·       Replace plastic pantry containers with glass jars or containers.

·       Take a glass refillable coffee cup to your local café instead of using takeaway cups.

These things are items that you use daily, so replacing them will have a big impact on your health.

Of course, there are many other plastic things that we all use daily, but it takes time to replace things and starting small will create big ripple effects.

Here are some other places plastics hide:

Plastic can lurk in unsuspecting places too, such as the lining of tinned foods. Read the labels when you go shopping and purchase tinned foods with BPA free linings.

Save your glass jars! These are perfect for food storage and for leftovers.

Be mindful of your cooking utensils. If you have any plastic ones that you use for cooking hot food, replace them with wooden and stainless-steel utensils instead.

If you use baby nappies and sanitary products, investigate BPA free alternatives. There are some great ones available today, that are not only good for you but also good for our environment!

For kids school lunch boxes, ditch the plastic and invest in stainless steel. They do cost more, but they will last a lifetime if treated properly and they are much healthier for your kids and the environment.

I’d like to end on a positive note and let you know that it is not all doom and gloom. Research has shown that by consciously reducing your plastic exposure through the methods shown above, there is a corresponding reduction in the amount of BPA and plastic related chemicals in your body within as little as 3 days! This is happy news, and every small step in the right direction can have big impacts on your health and wellbeing. I’m certainly not plastic perfect, but I know that together we can make a big positive impact on not only ourselves, but also our planet and the future!