| Ditch the plastic water bottle. Lose it once and for all. | | | | Scientists have established the link between chemicals |
| Or, more properly, get the plastic water bottle into the | | | | in plastics and radical changes in hormones, some of |
| recycling just as quickly as you can. You do not want | | | | which influence behavior or cause cancer. For food, |
| it. You do not need it. It ought to scare you. Replace | | | | use ceramics. For water, trust your steel water bottle. |
| that suspicious plastic water bottle with a new steel | | | | Avoid PVC, also known as the number 3. Use your |
| water bottle. | | | | steel water bottle. |
| Your steel water bottle poses no hazards to your | | | | Cultivate a mild obsession with checking the bottoms |
| health. | | | | of plastic products in the stores. Especially be on the |
| Unlike plastic bottles, your steel water bottle does not | | | | look-out for PVC (Poly-Vinyl-Choloride). If a toy, rain |
| put your health at-risk. Mostly, it just puts icy cold water | | | | coat and rain boots, or shower curtain bears a "3" or a |
| at your fingertips. | | | | "PVC," you really do not want it. You probably know |
| Many household plastics remain on "safe" lists more or | | | | PVC from the pipe you used to install the sprinkler |
| less "by default." No one has proven them safe; they | | | | system in your yard; the "V" stands for vinyl,, which |
| just have not yet been proven unsafe. Almost all | | | | makes the plastic wonderfully flexible, helping it expand |
| household plastics warrant serious suspicion, because | | | | and contract with changes in temperature. Okay for a |
| the more we learn about them, the more we discover | | | | sprinkler system. Not so good for your food and water |
| that, yes, they do seep or "leech" into our food and | | | | supply. Yes, some of your very favorites are made of |
| drinks, and, yes, they do contaminate our bodies. | | | | PVC-your beach ball, your inflatable raft, and lots of big |
| Although adults can tolerate and eliminate small | | | | kids' toys. |
| concentrations of dangerous compounds and distillates | | | | At the very least, exercise extreme caution about |
| from common plastics, children cannot. Especially | | | | phthalates', BPH's, and PVC's contact with your food, |
| phthalates and BPH-the stuff that keeps plastic clear | | | | water, and body. Start simple and advance: Keep your |
| and pliable-disrupt the body's endocrine system. | | | | water in your steel water bottle. |