Plastic Kitchen

For a long time now, I've heard of the harmful chemicals in plastics. Don't microwave food in plastic. Okay, we don't. A while ago, we bought a set of glass storage containers for our food, but we still have 3 shelves of a cabinet full of plastic containers that we use on a daily basis.

Other plastic items in our kitchen:

Bowls, plates, cups/sippy cups
Spoons for the kids
Large serving spoons and spatulas
Measuring cups & spoons
Water bottles
Food storage containers
Plastic wrap
Coffee maker
Food processor (bowl and lid)
Dishsoap and handsoap containers
Brita pitcher and sweet tea pitcher
Mixing bowls
Cutting boards
Bags and containers that food comes in

That's a lot of direct contact with our food.

Knowing the dangers of plastics, I still didn't have the motivation to do anything about it...until this morning.

I get emails from babycenter.com and the one I got today included a link to an article about phthalates. Here are the first two paragraphs of the article:

Phthalates (pronounced "thah-lates") are chemical plasticizers that have been widely used since the 1950s to soften plastics that would otherwise be brittle and crack when bent. Because phthalates are not chemically bound to the plastics they're added to, they're continuously released into the air or food or liquid. Did you ever notice how plastic sometimes hardens over time? That's because the phthalates have leached out of it.

Phthalates are found in an amazing array of products. In personal care items, they're used to help lubricate other substances, help lotions penetrate and soften the skin, and help fragrances last longer. They're also used in toys, electronics (such as personal computers), car-care products, insecticides, and many household products, including adhesives, plastic wrap, plastic containers, flooring, furniture, wallpaper, shower curtains, and other things made of vinyl or PVC.

Read the entire article. 

Later in the article is says that the FDA "concluded — after reviewing the safety and toxicity data — that there was not enough damaging evidence to require regulatory action concerning phthalates."

Well, since this stuff is in so many things, of course they don't want to conclude that it's bad for us. Sorry, FDA, I really don't trust you to know what's best for me and my kids. I know that phthalates are a chemical that I don't want floating around in our bodies.

Goodbye plastic kitchen. You are going to be replaced.