Our Excellent Adventures

The great outdoors, hiking in the Rockies, hanging out at the beach, trips in the RV, Yellowstone, Alaska - I can hardly wait to hit the road but am I killing myself?

One of the major quests in all of this is to stay light. Pack light. Keep the camper light. Weight is bad. To accomplish this we use what Science has provided - plastic. Of course, there are all kinds, and then there is graphite, fiberglass, on and on but what we should really be concerned about is what comes in to contact with our food and water.

The plastic water tank - made from polyethylene it appears to be safe as far as we know which is good as there is no way to avoid using that.

No, the biggest danger to us comes from water bottles, plates, storage containers, coffee cups, etc. That is where we do have a choice and should be careful. At home we most likely use less plastic than on the road. That is why I think RVers are more exposed.

We received a free water bottle at the Dublin Shamrock 5k Fun Run. Nice and pretty. On the bottom, inside the recycling symbol was the number 7. That means it is made from various combinations of plastics or from unique plastic formulations not commonly used. Above that it said “Made in China.” Need I say more?

All plastics can leach chemicals under certain conditions. As a rule of thumb, do not subject even the most durable plastic containers to high temperatures (microwave or dishwasher; radiators; hot food or drink; direct sun on hot days). “Microwave-safe” and “microwavable” mean a container probably won’t melt in the microwave, but there’s no promise that it won’t leach chemicals into your food. Do not use ANY plastic containers that appear old, stained or worn, since bacteria can hide in scratches or scummy films. Opt for metal, tempered glass or oven-proof ceramic when possible, like the light, stainless-steel Klean Kanteen ($13.99, www.kleankanteen.com). - http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/108/plastic

What are we doing?

• First we are replacing the Melamine plates, etc. with Corelle (yes, just like Mom used to use). Corelle uses does not use plastic and is made in the USA. If you recall, melamine was the product that poisoned all the cats and dogs a while back. (Is the FDA confused about melamine . . . consider this quote: The FDA has never judged melamine contamination to be particularly dangerous, as the substance is very non-toxic. Nevertheless, there are testing and quality control requirements placed on all foods in the United States, and as melamine is considered a toxin,these apply to melamine contamination too. Hmmm, a non-toxic toxin. How curious.)
• We will use no kitchen tools, etc. with a number 3 or a V on the bottom - PCV (http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/pvcproducts.htm).
• We will avoid any plastic made in China which is very difficult but given the choice we will at least not buy any plastic that says Made in China and if we have to, we will transfer the product to another container.
• Replace our plastic wine and martini glasses (I really didn’t like those anyway) with glass.

Like most of you, I am not a chemist but just a consumer left to the dangers of chemicals produced helter skelter in unregulated environments. All I can do is try to lessen my exposure and camp more. At least I’ll have fresh air!

Tags: chemical, corelle, melamine, plastic

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 10:10 am and is filed under Just thinking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.