Whilst researching the why's & wherefore's of recycling (& trying to find new & interesting things to create from old & seemingly useless items), I made myself a shocking discovery....

It would seem that not only are many common plastic products, which we are lead to believe can be recycled, not recyclable, they also contain chemicals which are damaging the health of plants, animals & human beings... and are emitting those chemicals into our food, water & environment.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals are ingredients of many manufactured products which are regularly used upon crops, livestock & humans and are routinely found in various health-care products, food & drinks wrappings & containers, cookware & many other household products. EDC's are also found in alarming levels in waterways & soil. Just some of their known effects upon animals & humans can be diabetes, reproduction problems & infertility, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, obesity/lipids, growth hormone disruption, pituitary tumors, and adrenal insufficiency.

What is more, these risks are widely known about by scientists(pdf), medical professionals, government agencies, environmentalists, manufacturers, retailers & the media, amongst others, but little is being done to ban their use or address the fact that we have all been adversely affected by them in some way over the last 50 years, or that their long term effects will potentially cause detriment to the health of future generations.

Scientists & some charities, such as the National Childbirth Trust, have said there is "compelling" scientific evidence that the Bisphenol A is linked to breast cancer and other serious health conditions. Breast Cancer UK has published a letter to Health Secretary Andy Burnham from a group of scientists backing its No More BPA campaign (pdf) & is asking supporters to write to their MP about this issue!

The No More Breast Cancercampaign is yet another action demanding that the link between breast cancer and everyday exposure to toxic chemicals to be taken seriously by the UK government..

... if you still don't believe me, maybe this will help...

The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. They have issued this Position Statement On Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals(pdf), which outlines the public health concerns of exposure to EDCs and proposes a series of recommendations for revising current policy and generating new policy on EDCs.

DO NOT heat food in plastic containers!

DO NOT heat 'ready meals' in the plastic containers they come in... no matter WHAT the instructions say!...

DO remove all food items from their plastic/polystyrene containers or wrappings as soon as possible & put onto/into glass, metal or ceramic containers... ESPECIALLY for heating!

CHECK that any baby bottles or accessories you are using DO NOT contain contaminant leeching plastics as MANY STILL DO!

DO NOT reuse plastic drinks bottles and check that your reuseable ones, including flasks, DO NOT contain contaminant leeching plastics.