Plastics And Your Health (plus breast milk over the internet)

This message has no good news over which you may rejoice. It does, however, have some information you didn't know that might affect your life or the life of a child you know.

You know about the dangers of pesticides and other chemicals that arrive on your fresh produce and meat from the market. These need to be removed for the veggies and fruit to be safe. Red meat should be nearly black when purchased (it goes that way during curing) unless it has been treated with a chemical that makes it bright red. Almost all markets use it. Wash your "red" meat well before cooking.
You might not be aware of a possible association between the food you eat and plastics that touch that food along its route from the ground or the abattoir to your gut.
Virtually every component of plastic is toxic. While the effects of various components of plastics on our bodies have been researched over the short term, no long term studies have been done and none are planned that I know of. It's also true that short term studies of plastics are based on studies with animals.
Perhaps you have read in recent months of animal studies of human foods and drugs that react on the animals differently from how they react in human populations. The simple truth is that no one knows how or if any component of plastic that touches food may cause harm in our bodies over a long term.
Cobalt is used in most kinds of plastics to make liquid plastic turn hard. It's toxic.
Toluene is used in insect sprays to kill them. Check the ingredient list on your sprays for this chemical. Anything that kills insects in small quantities will eventually kill people if it accumulates in the body. Most plastics contain toluene, even food containers.
Polybutol is a toxin that is used in most--if not all--"food grade" plastics.
One poison in plastics over which you have some control is phenol A. This is used almost always in plastic drink continers, such as bottled water. Look on the recycling lorus on the bottom of a plastic drink bottle for the number 1 inside the symbol.
The number 1 on a PET plastic drink container (possibly including plastic milk containers, so look there too) means that the plastic contains phenol A.
You may have read about how the emperors and nobility of ancient Rome slowly went mad from lead poisoning because they used drinking glasses that contained lead. Put phenol A in the same category as lead, only phenol A is a bit worse.
Do not ever reuse a plastic drinking bottle with 1 in the recycling symbol. 2, 4 and 5 are safe to reuse for water. Anything more acidic than water (like most juices or sodas) should not be put into used plastic containers unless you are prepared to accept possible consequences. You know what acid does. And you now know that every component of food plastics is toxic.
Glass may be awkward and breakable, but it's safe if handled properly.
Do not buy a food storage container that does not have a recycling symbol of 2,4 or 5 on it. If the container has nothing on it, don't buy it. No symbol means that it has not been tested for safety.
Those who bottle feed a baby may want to consider using glass bottles, as a baby's system is not advanced enough to protect it from harmful chemicals in plastics. Baby bottle plastics are not tested for safety on real human babies.
Do not heat anything in a microwave oven with stretchy plastic over the food. Toxins leach out of the plastic into the food. Do not heat any food in a microwave in a container that is not certified to be "microwave safe."
Some municipalities are trying to get people away from using copper water lines in their homes due to the bad effects of both copper and the lead in the solder that holds the copper pieces together. However, their alternative is plastic water lines with PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) "glue" both of which are composed of chemicals you don't want to stop in your body.

A final note that may be slightly off-topic. Many conscientious new mothers want to give their babies breast milk, but don't have enough of their own to give. They are buying breast milk over the internet.
Internet breast milk is not regulated, for anything, even for the presence of diseases or drugs. Chances are good that it will arrive on your doorstep in a plastic container.
Only buy breast milk over the internet if the seller has had the milk tested by reputable authorities. Most internet breast milk is not tested because it's a sideline business for people seeking a bit of extra money.

The above information is not intended to frighten you. It is intended to make you think about what you put into your mouth. Learn about what is in your food and beverages, make careful choices, then stop worrying. If you have done your due diligence, there is nothing more that you can do.
Except, maybe, you could go dancing once in a while.