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Understanding Dangerous Plastics

What plastics should I avoid buying?

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Michael Schade
PVC Campaign Coordinator, The Center for Health, Environment & Justice
www.chej.org  
212-964-3680

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) is the only national environmental organization that was founded and is led by a grassroots leader.  Lois Gibbs founded CHEJ after winning the nation’s first community relocation of 900 families due to a leaking toxic waste dump in Love Canal, New York.  Through this effort she also woke up the nation to recognize the link between people’s exposures to dangerous chemicals in the community setting and serious public health impacts.

CHEJ was instrumental in establishing some of the first national policies critical to protecting community health like the Superfund Program, Right-to-Know and others. By pioneering the effort nationwide to protect communities from exposures to dangerous environmental chemicals, in the air, water and soil, CHEJ has become the preeminent national leader among grassroots groups reducing the burden of toxic substances on our environment.

CHEJ is different from other environmental organizations.  It was created out of a commitment and passion to work with communities at risk, to empower local families to take steps to protect their neighborhoods and families from unnecessary chemical threats.  Through skill training, strategic analysis and scientific research, CHEJ has worked with over ten thousand groups since our founding.

CHEJ’s overarching goal has consistently been to prevent harm—particularly among vulnerable populations such as children.  If a safer process, material or product exists it should be used.  We believe that everyone, regardless of income, race, religion, or occupation, has a right to live, work, learn, play and pray in a healthy community.

CHEJ is a leader in advocating responsible corporate behavior (located in communities and selling products to families) in replacing outdated chemicals with safe, affordable alternatives to build long-term, safe economic opportunities and community benefits.   Our twenty years of experience in this arena extends from moving McDonalds away from Styrofoam in 1986 to moving Microsoft away from PVC plastic in 2006.

CHEJ works as a convener bringing together organizations from different walks of life like teachers, doctors, nurses, blue-collar workers and faith-based leaders.  Through building strategic partnerships we create a more powerful and diverse collaborative effort for advocating healthy communities everywhere.

What plastics should I avoid buying?

 

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Bpa

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Plastic

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Pvc

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Bisphenol-a

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Dangerous

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Poison

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Lead

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Chemicals

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Recycle

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Michael Schade: Hi! My name is Michael Schade I am the PVC Campaign Coordinator with the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice or a National Environment Health Organization working to protect communities and consumers from toxic chemicals in the environment and to prevent harm from toxic chemical disease. Today I am here to talk about toxic chemicals in our homes and consumer products, in the schools and in children's toys and what we can do to protect ourselves from these dangerous chemicals in our environment. I had been working to protect consumers and communities from toxic chemicals for the past seven years. I have a degree in Environmental Studies and I am one of the main National experts on toxic chemicals in our homes and communities.

Host: What plastics should I avoid buying?

Michael Schade: The worst plastic that we recommend consumers avoiding are the plastic numbers 3, 6 and 7. The #3 plastic is PVC plastic, the worst plastic for our health and environment. The #6 plastic is Polystyrene also known Styrofoam. The #7 plastic is Polycarbonate which contains Bisphenol A.

So in terms of shopping they want to avoid the plastics # 3, #6, and #7, and most of the others on the paper, for you health and environment. Now the other plastics do have some health and environmental concerns because they are so natural chemical based plastics. But for the most part are safer for consumers because they don't contain harmful additives such as Bisphenol A and lead, cadmium and phthalates that we can reach out of the plastic when they are used or when they are heated, when they are put in the microwave or when they are used in consumer products in the home.

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