Boosting Fertility: Protecting Yourself from Plastics

We drink from plastic bottles and use plastic foodcommon plastics on our reproductive health use
wraps all the time but a growing number ofthe simple strategies below to protect yourself:
scientists are getting concerned about the safety- Use plastic wraps and cookware made of
of these products, along with tin cans and dentalpolyethylene which doesn't contain plasticisers. If
sealants.the product doesn't make this clear, don't buy it.
This is because some substances in certain- When you reheat or cook food don't let plastic
plastics used to make various products have beenwrap touch it.
shown to have substances such as nonylphenol- Don't wrap food in cling film; use paper instead.
and octylphenol, biphenolic compounds andImmediately remove cling film wrap from food
phthalates which can have a negative effect onyou buy and transfer them to a bag or container.
reproductive hormones and fertility.Better yet ask the person on the deli to wrap
One such chemical is bisphenol-A, a syntheticyour food in paper.
oestrogen used in the manufacture of many food- Don't store fatty food in plastic wrap.
containers, cans and baby bottles and dentalXenoestrogens are lipophilic (fat loving) and will
sealants.tend to leach into foods with a high fat content.
To illustrate the power of this chemical, some- If you buy hard cheese wrapped in plastic use a
male workers developed breasts after inhalingknife to shave off the surface layer
dust containing bisphenol-A and one study showed- Avoid food that needs to be microwaved in a
that women with a history of miscarriage canplastic container. Better still avoid microwaving
have as much as three times the chemicalfood altogether.
bisphenol-A in their blood compared to women- Use glass bottles. Cans and plastic bottles of
who have never miscarried.fizzy drink contain six times the amount of
Other research has raised questions about thealuminium compared to the same beverages in
safety of cling film made of a type of plasticglass bottles. There is always a small amount of
called polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which containsresidue that dissolves into drinks from the lining of
plasticisers. Some animal studies suggest that PVCa can or from a plastic bottle. Glass bottles are
may be an endocrine or hormone disruptor.much better than plastic.
Other research on phthalates - chemicals which- Refill your own non-plastic water bottle instead
are used in commercial products as softeners ofof using toxic plastic water bottles. While it's good
plastics, solvents in perfumes and additives to hairfor your health to carry your own water and
sprays, lubricants and insect repellents - hasdrink it throughout the day, if it's in a clear
shown that they have the potential to bepolycarbonate plastic bottle, it can be leaching a
reproductive toxins.toxic substance into your water-even if the bottle
Until we know more about the effects ofis sitting on table at room temperature.