Killer polystyrene: how to choose safe plastic cookware. Disposable plastic dishes: why are they dangerous to health? What is the harm of plastic dishes? Paper dishes or how to preserve health and the environment

Plastic bottles, containers and utensils have become part of our everyday life. But simultaneously with "plasticization", there are more and more reports about the danger that this material conceals in itself: under certain conditions, it releases toxic compounds, which, getting into the human body, gradually undermine his health.

American scientists argue that up to 80% of the "plastic" substances found in the human body get there from construction and finishing materials, in particular, from such popular plastic windows, furniture, but most of all - from dishes: from food-grade plastic, all kinds of compounds pass into products nutrition. Domestic manufacturers, in turn, assure that certified plastic dishes are absolutely safe. True, they make a reservation: if you use it for its intended purpose.

The most common polymeric materials (or plastics) are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polycarbonate. They are used to produce both technical and food grade plastic. By themselves, polymers are inert, non-toxic and do not "migrate" into food. But intermediate substances, processing aids, solvents, as well as chemical decomposition products can penetrate food and have a toxic effect on humans.

This process can take place while food is being stored or when it is heated. In addition, polymeric materials are subject to change (aging), as a result of which degradation products are released from them. Moreover, different types of plastic become toxic under different conditions - some cannot be heated, others can be washed, etc.

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Cups and mugs, plates of all possible depths, multi-colored knives, forks and spoons made of plastic are produced every year in millions of tons. Not one party at work, a picnic, and sometimes even a coffee break at business meetings cannot do without this simple serving. The use of such packaging is convenient and saves a lot of time - these are, perhaps, all the advantages of disposable tableware. There are many more cons.

Single-use plastic packaging does not decompose, cannot be incinerated, and when thrown out into the street, it turns the city into a trash heap. But that is not all. Plastic packaging can harm the body of its consumer. Manufacturers, of course, do not report anything about the existing danger, but this does not reduce the toxicity of products.

What are plastic dishes made of?

The most common materials for plastic disposable tableware are polystyrene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride.

Polystyrene

Dishes made of it are white. Polystyrene is indicated by two large letters PS. This means that the packaging is only intended for cold food. When hot tea or coffee is poured into such a container, the plastic heats up and begins to release styrene. The same happens when heating products in polystyrene packaging in the microwave. Of course, a single ingress of styrene into the body will not bring harm, but if you constantly buy lunch in such a package and heat it in a microwave oven, a dangerous substance accumulates in the body. That subsequently can lead to disruption of the kidneys and liver.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene makes brown disposable dishes, such as coffee cups. Unlike polystyrene, polypropylene cookware with PP marking does not change its properties even when heated to +150 C, but it easily lends itself to chemical attack, while releasing formaldehyde and phenol, which are also hazardous to health. Therefore, drinking alcohol from such dishes is not worth it. Polypropylene containers are also not suitable for storing fatty substances, for example, butter or sunflower oil, since when in contact with fats, polypropylene breaks down and formaldehydes and phenol are released.

Polyvinyl chloride

But the most dangerous is PVC plastic container. It is labeled with the letters PVC (PVC). Containers are usually made from this substance. It actively releases vinyl chloride, a carcinogen that can cause cancer. Therefore, it is better to choose disposable tableware with the designations PS and PP.

Tableware made of melamine - a substance from which formaldehyde resin is obtained in the chemical industry. Outwardly, such dishes are similar to porcelain, but much lighter and stronger. Melamine containers - the record holder for the amount of harmful substances contained in it. Firstly, such packaging contains a lot of formaldehyde, and it has toxic properties, and its amount can be ten times more than any permissible norm. Secondly, in addition to melamine itself, which negatively affects the body, dishes may contain asbestos. Although its use for making packaging is prohibited, as it causes cancer. As soon as hot food gets into such a dish, poisonous formaldehyde is released. In addition, lead can be added to the paint for durability, which is also hazardous to health.

But what if these markings are simply not on the product?

How to distinguish polypropylene utensils from polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride?

When you press a hard object on a product made of polyvinyl chloride, a trace forms on its surface, the surface of others will remain smooth. When deformed, polystyrene dishes emit a loud crunch and crack easily, and soften when heated. Polypropylene - does not break during deformation, but only bends, and does not deform when heated.

The right choice is paper dishes

It is made from natural raw materials and is quickly disposed of without harm to the environment. In addition, paper containers retain heat longer and have a lower thermal conductivity, which allows you not to burn your hands. No harmful substances are emitted when heated.

Paper cups are made from thin cardboard. It can be laminated on one or both sides. Lamination of the outer layer prevents the glass from getting wet on a hot day, when condensation can form on it. Thanks to modern technology, the edges of paper cups are glued without glue. A strong connection is made by ultrasonic or heat treatment of the laminated layer.

Compared to plastic and polystyrene cups, paper is a safe material for microwave ovens. It is made from natural wood with minor additions of other safe substances.

Rules for using disposable tableware

Disposable tableware should be disposable. Never use disposable tableware multiple times. After all, it is impossible to wash it to hygienic cleanliness after use, and microscopic damage and cracks will further enhance the release of harmful substances.

You cannot store food in plastic dishes, and even more so, reheat them in the microwave. Plastic containers, for example, from ice cream, are not suitable for microwave ovens. Nothing happens to them in the freezer, but under the influence of high temperatures they can deform. At the same time, the plastic begins to decompose and release hazardous substances. In addition, the destruction of plastic occurs under the influence of oxygen, sunlight and room heat.

Disposable tableware is very convenient!

Today, many have come to this conclusion, primarily because of the properties that it possesses. Disposable tableware (paper and plastic dishes) does not break, is lightweight, and does not require much space to store it, it is cheaper than glass.

Due to the fact that plastic dishes do not break and are easy to clean, they are sometimes used as reusable dishes, but few people thought about the dangers that come from disposable dishes.

Reputable researchers have concluded that reusable disposable tableware can lead to malignant tumors, general fatigue and headaches. Allergies, attacks of bronchial asthma, even mutagenic changes in the body may appear.

Consumer properties

The consumer properties of disposable tableware are those characteristics of disposable tableware that the consumer most often pays attention to when choosing tableware and which are most important for its use.

• Safety of disposable food and beverage utensils (i.e. it is important that they meet hygienic and medical requirements).
• Aesthetic component: disposable tableware should have an attractive appearance: a variety of colors, the possible presence of patterns, the absence of various kinds of deformations and the presence of foreign materials, etc.
• Characteristics of heat resistance (preservation of temperature and stability of properties, when in contact with hot drinks and food).
• Availability of application for both cold and hot food and drinks.
• The ability to use disposable dishes for storing food in the refrigerator and for heating or cooking in a microwave oven, etc.
• The presence of such a property as frost resistance (for certain categories of disposable tableware).
• Resistant to chemicals such as lye, acids and fats.
• The presence of such a property as thermostaticity (the ability to hold dishes with hot food or drink in your hands and not burn your hands).

• Strength, resistance to deformation.
• Elasticity.
• For items such as knives and forks, their primary properties are to cut and prick without deforming these cutlery.
• Stability.
• Available in a variety of shapes and sizes.
• Disposable tableware should have sufficient capacity, while being compact and light in weight.
• Environmental friendliness and ease of disposal.

Do not eat twice from such plates.

Experts say: plates, forks, spoons and cups made of polymer materials cannot be used more than once.

This even applies to plastic water bottles. It is strictly forbidden to pour milk or alcoholic drinks there - you get a poisonous mixture.

The main rule when choosing disposable tableware is to carefully read the labeling. Each branded product must have a sign showing what the packaging is made of. If there is no labeling, then it is better to take care of your health and purchase the product in a glass container.

The PVC (PVC-polyvinylchloride) badge or the number 3 in the triangle at the bottom of the bottle or plastic packaging warns the buyer about its toxicity.

In addition to harmless glass containers, there is harmless food grade plastic, which is marked with letters:

• PE (PE)- polyethylene,
• PETF (PET) or PET (PET)- polyethylene terephthalate,
• RR (PP)- polypropylene.
• PS (PS)- means polystyrene (its code is number 6).
• In addition, safety is confirmed by image of a plate and a fork, numbers 05 and 1.

Labeling on disposable tableware - what does it mean?
Not all buyers know what the marking means and how they can be used.

Dangerous plastic

We often underestimate the danger it can pose to our health. It turns out that there is a relatively safe and dangerous plastic. Since we still have no way out, we should take care of choosing the lesser evil. Certain types of plastics are really dangerous.

Information about the material used in the manufacture of the package is located on its bottom in the form of a graphic symbol consisting of three arrows forming a triangle. In the middle of the triangle there are numbers from 1 to 7, indicating the type of material from which the packaging is made.

What are these numbers?

1 - PET (PET)

Such plastic is used mainly in the production of disposable beverage containers. Typical PET packaging is mineral water bottles. Such packaging, even after thorough cleaning, can release toxic chemicals when reused. Never reuse this kind of material.

2 - HDPE (LDPE)

Low pressure polyethylene (high density) is used for the production of semi-rigid containers, it is one of the safest plastics and can be reused.

3 - PCV (PVC)

Polyvinyl chloride is very often used, for example, in the production of packaging films for food products. PVC is hazardous to health and can release toxins. When PVC burns, it produces very hazardous chemicals known as dioxins, which are often more hazardous than potassium cyanide.

4 - LDPE (HDPE)

The high-pressure (low-density) polyethylene used in many types of packaging (such as plastic bags) is considered recyclable and safer than many other plastics, but not as safe as plastics 2 and 5.

5 - PP (PP)

Reusable polypropylene is often found as a material for food containers. It belongs to the group of the safest plastics, along with material 2 (HDPE).

6 - PS (PS)

Polystyrene is well known in the form of foam. PS releases toxins and should not be used as food packaging. It is also rarely used for this purpose due to its lower chemical resistance to polyethylene, but is present, for example, in lids for disposable coffee cups.

7 - OTHER

Never reuse plastic items marked with the number 7. This group includes many types of harmful chemicals, including the very toxic bisphenol A (BPA), which can contribute to schizophrenia, depression or Alzheimer's disease. In addition, eating foods that come into contact with BPA can lead to nervous and endocrine disorders, and even cancer. Never use these products in microwave ovens that will penetrate the bisphenol A deeper into food.

It most often occurs in:

In order to avoid poisoning from packed food, you should take into account simple nuances.

First of all, it should be remembered that disposable tableware is disposable.

Currently, plastic is an integral part of our life, and it will not be possible to get rid of it quickly in the kitchen. But you can try to minimize the harmful effects of plastic on our health. For this:

1. Use only plastics marked with 2 (HDPE) and 5 (PP) to store food.

2. Do not use plastic of other categories for storage of food, but give it for recycling. Do not reuse PET bottles or reheat food in the microwave oven in the food trays you bought it from (unless the packaging indicates they are suitable for this purpose).

2. Do not reheat food in the microwave oven in packages containing bisphenol (group 7), do not pour hot liquids into them, or do not wash in the dishwasher.

3. Use all plastic containers in accordance with the instructions on them (recommendations for temperature, use of the dishwasher, etc.).

4. Do not buy mineral water in plastic containers that have been exposed to the sun, but it is best to buy drinks (including milk, kefir, yogurt) in glass containers.

Disposable packaging and dishes are designed to be used once. Leaving them in reserve for storing other products is not worth it.
After use, the thin protective layer on the plastic is destroyed, and these dishes cannot be reused.

Always pay attention to the appearance of the package, its integrity, the legibility of the inscription, the expiration date.

Principle 1. Disposable tableware can be used strictly as intended.
Each type of disposable tableware contains an indication of what it is intended for: cold, hot, cold drinks, alcohol, etc. If you pour a hot drink into a glass intended for a cold one, the plastic begins to release toxic substances.

Principle 2. Never leave food in an open jar, even in the refrigerator. Either buy a smaller package or close tightly.

Principle 3. Do not store any products in disposable dishes, especially in used ones.
After using disposable tableware, the protective layer is destroyed, and when food is stored in it, for example, sugar, toxic substances pass into the product.

Principle 4. It is better not to take meat and cheese in the package.

Principle 5. Plastic dishes are not intended for ethanol-containing substances - alcohol.
Ethanol is a corrosive solvent. Toxic substances in plastic begin to dissolve and enter the drink.

Principle 6. The best option for disposable tableware is paper.

Principle 7. Often melamine is included in the composition of plastic dishes, which is especially abundant in me bright multi-colored tableware intended for children. In its normal state, it is not dangerous, but if you put something hot on a plate, the medanin begins to release toxins that enter the human body with food.
Paper is cellulose. Even if its particles enter the body, nothing terrible will happen.

Plastic bottles impair potency

While disposable cups are usually thrown away, handy plastic bottles are often left over.

In them in no way do not pour milk, since fats in it are capable of dissolving some polymers, alcoholic drinks, kvass, compote. Polymers tend to "age" under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, high temperatures, so over time they begin to release substances harmful to humans.

Scientists from the HSPH Department of Epidemiology and Harvard Medical School have come to the conclusion that plastic bottles are not as harmless to health as is commonly believed.

The constant consumption of drinks from plastic bottles by more than two-thirds increases the content in the body of the chemical bisphenol A, which affects sex hormones, says assistant professor Karin H. Michels.

This substance, which itself resembles the female hormone estrogen, is used in the manufacture of food and beverage containers and jars, as well as baby bottles. The study showed that the urine content of BPA in subjects who drank all drinks from plastic bottles within a week increased by 69.

The heating of plastic bottles, which parents do when they want to warm milk for their children, leads to the chemical penetration into the liquid contents in dangerous quantities. "This is worrying because children may be particularly susceptible to bisphenol A, which can disrupt hormonal glands," Michels said. Previous research has shown that high consumption of bisphenol A leads to birth defects, growth problems and an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, the article notes.

Most people may not have noticed, but disposable tableware has become part of the everyday life of the urban environment. More than a million tonnes of disposable tableware are produced every year, and so far there has been no trend towards a decrease in its use.

If you need disposable tableware, be sure to visit the online store "Foodinni" - there you can buy a wide variety of disposable tableware, and this article discusses the materials that are included in its composition.

Plastic disposable tableware

The most common, but at the same time the most criticized, disposable tableware made of plastic. The reason for criticism of plastic dishes is the ingestion of harmful substances such as lead, manganese and formaldehyde resins, which cause complex allergies.

The list contains the most common plastic used in the production of disposable tableware:

• PVC. Tableware, on which the inscription "PVC" can often be seen, is made of polyvinyl chloride and, as a rule, is not suitable for storing and handling food in it;
• polystyrene (PS) is found in white utensils used to store cold food. If the disposable tableware is marked with the appropriate symbols, do not heat it under any circumstances, because when the temperature rises, styrene is released from it;
• polypropylene (PP). Polypropylene dishes are predominantly brown in color and are capable of not harming health even at very high temperatures (100 + ° C), but they are not suitable for fatty foods;
• melamine. The most dangerous material, which is most often included in transparent dishes with different color shades.

Disposable paper tableware

Paper dishes are much less popular than plastic ones, and this is due to the costly and time-consuming technological process during production. One way or another, in the UK there is The Paper Cup Company, which is one of the largest on the market, thereby popularizing paper disposable tableware.

Despite the costly production and less popularity, paper dishes have a number of positive properties, which include a long heating rate and the ability to store hot food, resistance to condensation and the absence of emission of harmful substances when heated. In addition, unlike plastic counterparts, paper dishes can be used more than once.

We have heard a lot about the dangers of disposable tableware for human health, but still millions of tons of it are produced annually. Why? Because there is demand.

No picnic in nature or a quick snack at work is complete without plastic plates, cups, spoons and knives, and all because it is incredibly convenient.

And yet, the Ministry of Health strongly recommends that you abandon the use of plastic dishes. danger is just the material from which it is made. Together with food, a dose of lead, manganese, cadmium enters the human body, and formaldehyde resins, which are part of the "plastic helpers", cause terrible allergies and diseases.

Of course, there are also environmentally friendly dishes that do not harm humans and the environment at all. You will learn more about the materials from which the names of disposable tableware familiar to us are made from the article.

Plastic and everything connected with it

Most often, disposable tableware is made from three types of plastic:

1. Polystyrene - cookware made of it is marked with the letters PS, is intended exclusively for cold foods and is white in color. Even not heating it for a long time promotes the release of styrene, which is very harmful to health.
2. Polypropylene - brown crockery with PP marking can be heated to a temperature of +150, but is not intended for storing fatty and oily foods.
3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - utensils from which vessels and containers are often made, are marked with the letters PVC and are not at all intended for storing food.

But the greatest health hazard is posed by melamine cookware. It is translucent and can be painted in a wide variety of colors.

Paper dishes or how to preserve health and the environment

The dishes, which are widely used abroad and are absolutely safe, are made of paper. It has the following characteristics:

1. It does not heat up very quickly, while retaining heat, therefore it can be used to store hot food.
2. Thin cardboard, due to the lamination procedure, is not susceptible to soaking from condensation.
3. Such utensils can be safely used for heating food in microwave ovens, since they do not emit harmful substances under the influence of high temperatures.

The main advantage of paper dishes is that they cannot be reused, and in the case of plastic, this important rule is often neglected.

This video describes in detail how disposable tableware is made: