Plastic containers and their harm

The random use of plastic containers and bottles has increased, may be due to the economic situation which caused an increase in the prices of healthy containers and bottles, or ignorance of the harmful results from using such containers and bottles.

Therefore, I decided to talk about this matter, especially with the beginning of the school year and the increasing use of water bottles and refilling them. As well as reusing empty plastic containers for children or for food storage.

You must consider the terms of use which will often be written on the back of the containers or bottles where there is a triangle with numbers inside or beside it and each number has a different meaning.

Firstly, the triangle  = extent of recyclability.

Secondly, the numbers:

Number 1

 
It is the symbol for the substance "polyethylene terephthalate", which is often used in the manufacture of bottles of water, soft drinks and juice. This type of plastic absorbs some of the packaged material and helps in bacterial growth.
So it must be used only once.

Number 2

It is the symbol for high density "polyethylene", which is used in the manufacture of bottles of milk, liquid soap and shampoo.
These bottles do not transmit any chemicals to food stored, but only at room temperature.

Number 3

It is the symbol for the substance "polyvinyl chloride", which is used in the manufacture of oil bottles and the industry of plastic pipes.
These bottles must not be used again because they contain substances that are incompatible with the human body hormones. Also, it can be carcinogen if exposed to high temperature.

Number 4

It is the symbol for low density polyethylene that is used in the manufacture of some plastics bags which are used in the packaging of food, like sandwiches. It is safe even at high temperature.

Number 5 

It is the symbol for polypropylene that is used for yogurt cups, which is also safe.

Number 6 

It is the symbol for polystyrene substance that is used in the manufacture of plastic cups and foam cups used for hot drinks. It is an unsafe substance and may be carcinogenic.

Number 7

It is the symbol for polycarbonate substance that is used in the manufacture of baby food bottles and multi-use empty water bottles.
These bottles may contain BPA substance that may cause some health problems concerning the heart, as well as obesity.
So when choosing a bottle marked with No. 7 it must be labeled "BPA" Free to avoid this harmful substance.

Finally, I do not recommend using plastic at low temperatures to the freezing point or high temperatures to the boiling point, since these figures were calculated on the basis of room temperature.
And it is advisable to store foods in glass containers or bottles, or enamel coated pots, and considering they are free of lead by buying them from reliable brands and known sources.