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Many studies and debates are ongoing regarding the safety and safe usage of plastic containers and wraps. Email chains of articles claiming the health hazards of plastics have continued to raise concerns. But are plastic containers really unsafe and how do consumers distinguish between different plastic products?

In a nutshell, a main spark of the plastic safety debate is the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), a plasticizer to make plastic more flexible, which produces similar effects to the hormone estrogen. BPA has been linked to many health hazards including reduced reproductive abilities and abnormal tissue changes similar to early stage cancer. In animal studies, bisphenol-A, leached out of plastic cages after washing, produced increased incidents of chromosome abnormalities in eggs and embryos. These results lead to concerns of various chemical leakages from plastics resulting from frequent washing or heating at high temperatures (e.g. microwaving). To counter these concerns, the FDA and industry groups have done further studies; these studies show that chemical leakage level is minimal and consumers would have to ingest over 1000 lbs of food (in contact with plastic) per day to exceed BPA safety levels set by the EPA.

So who is right and who is wrong? That is up to the scientist and conscious consumer in each one of us.

However, if you want to just avoid even the potential health hazard, especially for vulnerable groups like babies, kids and pregnant women, look carefully at the plastic resin code on the product.

Avoid the following codes which have been known to leach harmful chemicals:

#7 - Polycarbonate
#6 - PS (Polystyrene) or Styrofoam
#3 - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

Use the following codes which have not been known to leach harmful chemicals:

#5 - PP (Polypropylene)
#4 - LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
#2 - HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
#1 - PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) or "Single Use"

Note that out of the 7 codes, only #1 and #2 products are widely accepted by residential curbside pickups due the economics of recycling.

When shopping for plastic products for your home and family, some brands and products that use #2, #4 or #5 include:

#5 or #2 - Evenflo colored baby bottles, Gerber colored baby bottles, Sassy E-Z Grip Cups, The First Years Tumble Mates, Playtex Spill-Proof and Straw Cups, Tupperware Bowls, Tupperware Freezer Products
#4 - Glad Cling Wrap and Zip Bags, Ziploc Bags, Saran Wrap

For the complete plastic code and product guide, see http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/pdf/plasticchart.pdf

On a parting note, when in doubt, avoid plastic and chose an old fashioned alternative like metal or glass.

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