Bahaya Ubat Gigi Florida

Bahaya Ubat Gigi Florida

http://selangor2u.com/blog/2011/06/bahaya-ubat-gigi-berflourida/

 

Tahukah kita tentang ubat gigi yang berada di pasaran kini mengandungi bahan ramuan yang lebih beracun daripada plumbum dan hanya kurang sedikit kadar keracunannya daripada arsenik? Bahan ramuan ini merupakan sisa keluaran industri baja dan ia digunakan dalam sektor industri sebagai racun serangga untuk menghapuskan semut dan lipas. Dan bahan itu ialah Fluorida.

Penggunaan fluorida yang tercatat di atas label sebagai “sodium monofluorophosphate” (smlp) atau “sodium fluoride” dalam ubat gigi bagi mencegah kerosakan gigi juga di pertikaikan kerana terdapat bukti mengenai keracunannya. Dan menurut beberapa laporan, fluorida boleh mengubah sel-sel normal menjadi sel kanser.

Tinjauan CAP (Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang) keatas label mendapati semua ubat gigi berfluorida juga mengandungi enam bahan kimia yang berkarsinogen. Jadi, untuk mengetahui sejauh manakah ubat gigi anda bertoksik lihat gambar gambar berikut.

KENAPA UBAT GIGI BERFLOURIDA BAHAYA?

Pentadbiran Makanan & Ubatan Amerika (FDA) menganggap fluorida sebagai ‘ubat baru yang tidak diluluskan’ kerana tiada bukti mengenai keselamatan mahupun keberkesanannya. Akademi Antarabangsa Bagi Ubatan, Makanan & Toksikologi (pertubuhan bukan kerajaan Kanada yang membiayai penyelidikan mengenai bahan bertoksik yang digunakan dalam pergigian) telah mengelaskan fluorida sebagai ubat untuk gigi yang tidak diluluskan disebabkan kandungan racunannya yang tinggi.

Satu tinjauan dijalankan dengan bantuan pengeluar ubat gigi dan Persatuan Pergigian Amerika Syarikat dan didapati purata orang yang memberus gigi dengan ubat gigi berfluorida, telah menelan antara 0.3 – 0.4 mg fluorida setiap kali memberus gigi. Bermakna anda menerima hampir separuh daripada kadar harian fluorida yang sepatutnya dengan hanya memberus gigi.

MENGAPA KITA TIDAK PERLUKAN FLUORIDA PADA UBAT GIGI?

• Dos fluorida harian yang diterima melalui pemakanan sudah mencukupi untuk keperluan seseorang.
• Pihak berkuasa di Malaysia telah menambah fluorida ke dalam sistem bekalan pengairan. Oleh itu, setiap titis air dalam bentuk teh, kopi, minuman berais dan sebagainya menyumbang kepada penambahan fluorida sedia ada.
• Makanan harian seperti sayuran juga terdedah kepada fluorida melalui racun serangga dan lain-lain.

• Fluorida juga terdapat pada tulang ikan seperti ikan bilis dan sardin.

Oleh sebab itu, kita tidak memerlukan fluorida tambahan daripada ubat gigi atau ubat kumur, yang mampu memudaratkan kesihatan.

KESAN FLUORIDA :

• Kematian
• Kanser
• Ruam kulit
• Luka kanser
• Kelunturan warna gigi
• Masalah gastrik
• Kerapuhan tulang
• Keracunan saraf
• Kanser tulang
• Keretakan tulang
• Menyebabkan masalah IQ di kalangan kanak-kanak
• Meransang masalah buah pinggang

Mengikut kajian, fluorida mampu meresap menerusi gusi, kanak-kanak di bawah usia 7 tahun yang menelan 50% daripada ubat gigi ketika memberusnya, terdedah kepada risiko kanser.

PERINGATAN: Informasi di blog ini dipetik dari pelbagai sumber untuk bahan bacaan kepada pembaca kami dan tidak boleh dijadikan sebagai bahan rujukan utama. Sebarang tips kesihatan perlulah mendapatkan nasihat pakar.

 

 

Pasar malam tempat tibi menular

Pasar malam tempat tibi menular

Oleh LUQMAN RIDHWAN MOHAMED NOR
luqman.ridhwan@kosmo.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR - Siapa sangka pasar malam yang selama ini menjadi tempat tumpuan orang ramai membeli pelbagai barangan basah serta makanan kini menjadi antara kawasan yang berisiko tinggi merebaknya penyakit berjangkit terutamanya tuberculosis atau tibi. Penyebaran penyakit batuk kering itu dipercayai berpunca daripada kehadiran pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI) yang membawa virus tibi di tempat-tempat awam terutamanya pasar malam dan menyebarkannya kepada penduduk tempatan.

Pengarah Institut Perubatan Respiratori (IPR), Datuk Dr. Abdul Razak Muttalif berkata, situasi itu kini berada pada tahap membimbangkan apabila pada tahun lalu sahaja pihaknya telah menerima kira-kira 1,500 kes dengan 15 peratus daripada penghidapnya terdiri daripada warga asing. "Kita bimbang dengan angka berkenaan kerana mereka (PATI) ini dilihat semakin ramai berada di kawasan awam seperti pasar malam dan pada masa yang sama menyebarkan virus penyakit tibi," katanya kepada Kosmo! di sini semalam.

Beliau memberitahu, pelarian dari Myanmar merupakan antara penyumbang utama penyebaran penyakit tibi terutamanya di sekitar ibu negara khususnya di kawasan Pudu dan Bukit Bintang. "Warga Myanmar yang rata-rata kebal kepada ubat penyakit itu biasanya telah pun menghidap tibi sebelum masuk ke negara ini," ujar beliau. Menurut Abdul Razak, keadaan itu telah meningkatkan risiko penyebaran penyakit tibi dalam kalangan penduduk tempatan yang secara langsung atau tidak langsung berinteraksi dengan mereka.

Katanya, kadar penyebaran penyakit itu dalam kalangan mereka juga adalah tinggi kerana golongan tersebut kebiasaannya tinggal beramai-ramai di sebuah rumah. "Sebuah rumah biasanya didiami oleh kira-kira 40 orang pelarian dan ia memudahkan penyakit itu disebarkan antara mereka kerana keadaan itu pasti mewujudkan sistem pengudaraan yang tidak baik. "Golongan yang dijangkiti ini pula seterusnya akan ke kawasan awam dan menyebarkan penyakit itu kepada orang ramai," ujarnya.

Selain warga Myanmar, PATI dari Indonesia, Nepal serta Bangladesh turut menyumbang kepada peningkatan penyakit tibi di negara ini. "Selain pasar malam, pasar-pasar awam juga menjadi kawasan penyebaran penyakit itu seperti Pasar Borong Selayang yang dipenuhi oleh warga Bangladesh," ujarnya.

 Ruj: Sila Klik Di Sini

 

Lebih ramai lebih bagus

Oleh ROSYAHAIDA ABDULLAH
rosyahaida@hmetro.com.my

KATA orang, kerja di Kuala Lumpur gajinya besar dan seseorang itu boleh menikmati kemewahan dengan cepat. Memiliki kereta import, rumah selesa, telefon bimbit canggih mahupun pakaian berjenama bukan mustahil, asalkan rajin berusaha dan tidak cepat putus asa. Namun, adakah pendapat ini benar-benar berlaku kepada semua yang bekerja di Kuala Lumpur atau sekadar telahan? Benarkah golongan berkerjaya di ibu kota berjaya mengecapi impian masing-masing atau ia hanya sekadar cerita dongeng?

Bagi sesetengah golongan muda yang membesar dalam persekitaran kampung khasnya, keinginan merasai suasana berbeza pasti pernah singgah di fikiran. Filem mahupun drama di televisyen yang banyak menonjolkan kemodenan serta kemewahan dunia kota sedikit sebanyak mempengaruhi minda golongan ini. Tanpa mereka sedari, setiap langkah di kota besar menuntut wang ringgit untuk dibelanjakan. Tol, parkir dan makanan yang berganda harganya berbanding kawasan luar bandar umpama ‘membakar’ sekurang-kurangnya RM50 sebaik saja seseorang itu melangkah keluar daripada pintu rumah.

Tidak kira lelaki atau perempuan, kedua-duanya perlu mengharungi kos hidup yang kian meningkat di ibu kota. Walaupun bekerja, perbelanjaan tinggi memerlukan mereka bijak mengatur kewangan. Kalau individu bergaji mencecah RM3,000 pun merungut tidak cukup wang, apatah lagi golongan yang pendapatannya tidak sampai empat angka sebulan. Berikutan itu, setiap warga bandar raya, terutama golongan berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana, perlu berjimat cermat dalam menjalani hidup serta menyesuaikan diri di kota metropolitan yang seolah-olah mempunyai harga untuk setiap perkara dilakukan.

Kebanyakan individu yang keluarganya sedia menetap di bandar raya ini mungkin lebih bernasib baik kerana boleh tinggal di rumah sendiri, tetapi bagaimana pula dengan golongan muda yang merantau ke Kuala Lumpur semata-mata ingin memperoleh gaji lumayan, sekali gus memperbaiki kehidupan di kampung? Mahu atau tidak, mereka perlu menyewa rumah untuk dijadikan tempat tinggal dan berkongsi sebuah rumah secara beramai-ramai. Inilah pilihan generasi muda masa kini dalam mengurangkan tekanan ekonomi bandar besar.

Sama ada ingin berjimat mahupun pendapatan sememangnya tidak mencukupi, kedua-duanya alasan serupa bagi golongan ini untuk bersesak dalam satu rumah tanpa memikirkan keselesaan sendiri. Pada pandangan mereka, lebih ramai lebih bagus kerana beban sewa rumah semakin ringan. Luarannya, mereka mungkin kelihatan tenang dan berupaya menyesuaikan diri dengan cara hidup sedemikian rupa tetapi di sebalik ketenangan itu, golongan perantau ini pasti pernah mengimpikan ruang peribadi khusus untuk diri, setidak-tidaknya bilik sendiri.

Kalaupun ada yang menafikannya, lebih-lebih lagi lelaki, daripada segi psikologi pun setiap manusia sememangnya memerlukan ruang untuk diri sendiri tanpa kehadiran individu lain. Tidak salah tinggal beramai-ramai di bawah atap sama, namun ia boleh memberi kesan negatif jika tidak kena caranya. Peruntukan maksimum RM100 hingga RM150 sebulan untuk membayar sewa rumah dianggap mereka sebagai angka terbaik yang membolehkan gaji digunakan untuk tujuan lain seperti ansuran kereta, pinjaman pendidikan, wang saku ibu bapa serta simpanan.

Jenis rumah yang sering menjadi pilihan mereka tentunya flat kerana kadar sewanya lebih murah atau menurut golongan ini, kadarnya lebih mampu dibayar berbanding rumah teres atau kondominium.
Namun, ada juga yang memilih apartmen kos rendah dan rumah kedai, semuanya bergantung kepada kemahuan dan cita rasa masing-masing. Melihatkan suasana meriah sekitar flat yang menjadi tumpuan majoriti golongan muda, terdetik seketika bagaimana mereka boleh bertahan tinggal di kawasan seperti itu. Belum sampai di pintu rumah pun, bermacam masalah jelas kelihatan.

Paling ketara adalah tempat letak kereta yang sangat sesak dan tidak berupaya menampung jumlah kenderaan penghuni. Ia tidak hanya memberi tekanan kepada pemandu untuk mencari ruang parkir selepas pulang daripada kerja, malah boleh mengakibatkan pertengkaran mahupun kerosakan kereta gara-gara berebutkan tempat letak.kereta yang terhad. Kemudian, ruang koridor pula menunjukkan betapa hari dilalui penghuni tidak selalunya baik. Ada yang kotor, kasut bersepah, air bertakung dan tidak kurang juga dengan jiran menyidai kain di jemuran orang lain.

Mungkin ramai menyangka majoriti penghuni flat adalah golongan berkeluarga, tetapi sebenarnya boleh dikatakan hampir setiap aras flat itu pasti ada penyewa bujang. Berdasarkan rekod Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (LPPKN) sehingga akhir tahun lalu, separuh iaitu 800,728 daripada 1.67 juta penduduk Kuala Lumpur adalah golongan belia berumur 15 hingga 40 tahun. Jadi, bayangkan betapa ramai golongan muda di ibu kota ketika ini.

Sebaik melangkah masuk ke rumah golongan bujang, penulis terkejut melihat kepadatan ruang dalam rumah. Kalau ruang tamu pun diletakkan almari baju dan tilam, ruang mana lagi yang boleh tetamu duduk. Di rumah lelaki khususnya, perkara biasa yang sering kelihatan adalah ruang tamu dipenuhi tilam dan meja komputer. Di situlah mereka bermain permainan komputer dan di situ juga mereka tidur. Terfikir seketika, nyenyakkah mereka tidur dalam keadaan sebegitu. Bagi lelaki yang mempunyai alat muzik seperti gitar, keyboard mahupun dram contohnya, rumah mereka ibarat studio muzik tidak bertauliah.

Baunya pula, hanya mereka yang pernah tinggal sebumbung dengan teman lain secara beramai-ramai tahu hakikatnya. Walau sebersih mana rumah dijaga, bau memang sukar dikawal disebabkan saiz rumah kecil manakala barangnya pula terlalu banyak, menjadikan persekitaran dalam rumah sentiasa lembap. Tidak cukup dengan itu, ada pula rumah yang dapurnya diubah suai menjadi bilik tidur. Ada yang berpendapat ia mengarut, tetapi jika ia boleh mengurangkan kadar sewa yang perlu dibayar setiap penghuni, perkara itu dirasakan terbaik buat penyewa yang mahu berjimat asalkan bukan bergelandangan. Kunjungan ke beberapa rumah perempuan pula mendapati kebersihan lebih terjaga, namun kesesakan ruang tiada bezanya. Pantang ada saja bucu yang boleh digantungkan penyangkut baju (hanger), pakaian yang baru dicuci pasti digantung di situ, termasuk di dapur sekalipun. Di bilik mandi pula, baldi tersusun di belakang pintu yang semuanya mempunyai baju direndam. Jika empat pengguna bilik mandi terbabit, empat juga baldi yang ada, tidak termasuk baldi simpanan air. Bayangkan betapa sempitnya ruang bilik mandi yang sedia kecil itu.

Namun menariknya, waktu lapang golongan perempuan sering diisi dengan aktiviti memasak. Cukup semalam bermalam di rumah mereka pada hujung minggu, seawal 7 pagi lagi mereka keluar ke pasar untuk membeli keperluan dapur. Tiga orang ke pasar sebelum masak makanan tengah hari, dua orang kemas rumah, dua orang cuci tandas dan stor, manakala tiga lagi pulang ke kampung masing-masing. Apapun masalah yang jelas wujud di depan mata dek ‘rumah sardin’, ramai pula golongan muda yang menyangkal masalah berkenaan, sebaliknya menganggap keselamatan lebih terjamin kerana tidak tinggal berseorangan. Malah, kata mereka, duduk beramai-ramai lebih berkesan dalam mengurangkan tekanan kerana masalah di tempat kerja atau peribadi dapat dikongsi bersama teman serumah berbanding tinggal bersendirian.

 

pssst :

Sebenarnya suntikan BCG semasa anda kecil dan semasa anda berumur 12 tahun hanya mampu melindungi anda dalam tempoh 10 hingga 15 tahun sahaja .... selepas itu, kadar pengeluaran antibodi badan anda akan makin menurun. Justeru itu, anda perlu kuatkan antibodi badan anda dengan memakan enzim hidup yang boleh didapati dari buah2an atau sayur sayuran mentah.... Kalau anda pergi kimoterapi atau radioterapi memanglah kadar daya tahan badan anda untuk melawan penyakit akan menurun dengan mendadak ...  Pekerja asing suka duduk bersesak sesak dan tinggal dalam tempat lembab dan sempit. Ini memudahkan penularan banteria Mycobacterium Tuberculosis dari tersebar kepada anda melalui udara....

Lupuskan dengan berhemah

Lupuskan dengan berhemah

discard-with-care

Are you serious about cutting down on your household waste? Are you having trouble getting rid of hazardous materials like batteries and old cellphones, that shouldn't be tossed in with regular garbage? Sometimes it takes extra effort to reduce your carbon footprint and ensure hazardous waste stays out of the main garbage stream.

The Observer's Cathy Dobson compiled this page of tips and ideas to get the ball rolling. E WASTE The volume of defunct computers, printers, cellphones and stereo equipment generated in the home is often a frustration. But there's an easy solution. Since 2002, Joe Black and Pam Vandeweghe have operated Digital Friends, recently moved to 1121 Evett St., just off Confederation. Digital Friends accepts almost all electronics free-of-charge. But they won't take televisions, smoke detectors (which contain radioactive material) or anything with refrigerant.

Currently, there's a $25 fee when you drop off a monitor.

All computers and equipment are disassembled on site and most are shipped to a recycling facility in Ontario. Some are refurbished for resale and others are given away to worthy organizations. The list of items that can be dropped off is impressive. It includes: power tools, dryers, washers, microwaves, cellphones, telephones and VCRs. Virtually anything with a plug or a small battery -- working or not working -- can be taken to Digital Friends at no cost. Open Monday through Friday from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Call 519- 344-3334.

Sarnia's Future Shop also accepts a variety of e-waste including old cellphones, CD players, MP3 players, CDs, portable DVD players and ink cartridges. A green box inside the front door is almost constantly full, a company spokesman said. To find out more, visit www.futureshop.ca/green. If you live in Corunna, there's a handy collection box at the front of Foodland where the Mooretown Optimists are collecting old cellphones, ink cartridges and laser cartridges. The "ThinkGreen" program will give the club some money for their efforts and plant a tree for every 12 cartridges or cell phones.

HOUSEHOLD ALKALINE AND RECHARGEABLE

BATTERIES

If you're throwing your dead AA, AAA, C, D, or 9-volt batteries in the garbage, you're adding toxic mercury to the water table. Stop! There is a growing number of places in Sarnia-Lambton that will safely dispose of them. For instance, Canadian Tire has a drop-off box in Aisle 57 for rechargeables (not alkaline).

Lambton Mall has introduced a community service program this year that accepts any dry cell battery, alkaline and rechargeable. Drop boxes are located in the mall outside Canadian Tire and outside The Source as you approach Sears. The program has really taken off and 1,000 pounds of batteries have already been collected and shipped to a recycler in Ayr Ont.

Another new program is just getting underway at Lambton County's 26 library branches where drop-off boxes are available for dead alkaline and rechargeable batteries. Lambton County is running this program and will collect all those old batteries and ship them off to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC).

Note to local businesses:You can register with RBRC online ( www.rbrc.org)and they will send you empty boxes to collect used rechargeable batteries and cellphones. They'll also pay the shipping costs for you t o send full boxes back to them. Jim Kutyba, Lambton County's general manager of infrastructure, has registered the county with RBRC and placed one of the boxes for the public's convenience at the public works reception area at county headquarters in Wyoming.

RBRC is a non-profit public service organization that was created and is funded by the rechargeable battery industry. It's based in Atlanta. Future Shop has also gotten into the recycling act and recently expanded the number of items the store accepts. Drop old batteries into the green box inside Future Shop's front door in Sarnia and they will be sent to a recycler in Cambridge, Ontario.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS AND TUBES

Those wonderfully energy efficient CFL light bulbs are on the hazardous waste list. They contain mercury within the glass tubing. Use them because they last much longer and use less electricity than conventional bulbs, but be sure to get rid of them properly. The Lambton Mall's new recycling program offers two drop-off points for CFL bulbs and tubes, one just outside Canadian Tire and the other just outside The Source. RONA Cashway in Sarnia also accepts used CFL.

bulbs (not the tubes). They can be deposited at R O N A' s exit door.

USED MOTOR OIL

For those who still change their own vehicle's oil, there are a number of local garages, like the one at Canadian Tire, that accept the old gunk.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

DAYS

Every year, thousands of local residents line up outside Clean Harbors on Telfer Road to get rid of corrosive, toxic, reactive and flammable waste materials. This is a highly successful program co-sponsored by Clean Harbors and Lambton County and, if you've got the patience to wait in line, you can unload a bunch of nasty stuff. Anyone with old paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals and other products that compromise the environment, should take them on one of six designated days.

No more days are scheduled for 2008, but next spring they resume on the last Saturday of March, April, May, June, September and October. The county is also organizing one mobile event that allows Lambton residents who live far from Clean Harbors to take advantage of the service.

TELEVISIONS

This is a tough one. We couldn't find any recycler willing to take them. You can still put your old TV out on the curb and it will likely be picked up and taken to the landfill. But that's not environmentally responsible. If you can hold on for another six months or so, provincial legislation will kick in that dictates all retailers who sell TVs must accept old ones and dispose of them properly. The old cathode ray tubes are an environmental issue so do the right thing.

ALUMINUM

You can throw your pop cans into the blue box or you can support a local charity like the Lambton Shrine Club. The Shriners collect heaps of aluminum cans every year. The money they get from selling them is used to support their children's hospital programs. Householders can drop their cans off at the Shrine Club headquarters, which is now in Point Edward at the Ex-Servicemen's Club on Michigan. If your workplace wants to get into the act, the Shriners provide large bags for collection and will come pick them up if you call. Dial 519-344-3282 for more information.

OLD PAINT

There's likely several local paint outlets that will accept your old paint, but we know for sure that RONA Cashway takes it. They don't want solvents, aerosol cans or empty paint cans, but the store welcomes old household paint for recycling.

DISCARDED BUILDING MATERIALS

Sarnia's Habitat for Humanity operates a Restore at 460 Christina St. and accepts all sorts of household items for resale. Take your old windows, doors, cabinets, tools, lighting fixtures, and appliances to Restore. Old carpets are acceptable too if they are in good condition.

PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS

For those of you who still don't regularly take reusable cloth grocery bags to the store (you know who you are . . . you have a drawer at home exploding with plastic), A & P Super Fresh Stores on London and Exmouth streets has a bag depot.

There are also several charitable organizations that could use them including Habitat's Restore (339-7957) and possibly some of the local thrift shops.

DON'T FORGET TO BLUEBOX

Every other week, residents in Point Edward and Sarnia can take their recyclables to the curb-side. That includes newspapers, flattened cardboard, telephone books, fine paper, magazines, plastic bottles coded 1 and 2 on the bottom, as well as any plastic tubs and lids such as margarine containers. The recycling program now includes box board, which covers items like cereal boxes and kleenex boxes. Glass and cans are also accepted.

Be sure to separate the fibre from the rest. In other words, those boxes don't go in with the glass and plastic. Beach bottles must be rinsed. Unfortunately, the local recycling program does not take plastic bottles coded three to seven, plastic bags, Styrofoam, broken glass or milk cartons.

Bulk items are also picked up on garbage day including large appliances, furniture, mattresses, barbecues (no tanks) and refrigerators with the doors removed. Freon must be removed, which generally costs about $75.

OLD CLOTHES AND FURNITURE

If your old stuff is truly something that someone else might want to use, consider giving it to one of the local second-hand outlets such as Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army or the Clothesline program operated by the Canadian Diabetes Association. Clothesline will collect your old clothes, dishes, and knickknacks at your doorstep and sell them to Value Village. The profit goes to fight diabetes. Some of the other charities, such as Goodwill, also have pickup service.

OLD REFRIGERATORS AND AIR CONDITIONERS

Save $120 to $150 a year by unplugging old fridges at your house. In the interest of removing older, inefficient fridges and freezers from the electricity system, The Ontario Power Authority has a Great Refrigerator Round Up program. It started in June 2007 and has been such a success, it will continue for the foreseeable future. Simply make an appointment and a professional will come take your fridge away free-of-charge. If you also have an old window air conditioner, that will also be accepted and decommissioned in an environmentally responsible manner.

Just ensure your appliances are 10 years or older and still working.

Check out the OPA's Every Kilowatt Counts website on the Internet for more details and call the customer contact centre at 1-877-797-9473 to make an appointment.

 

 

Guide for Plastic Food Packaging

Guide for Plastic Food Packaging

http://www.myhealth.gov.my/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=407&Itemid=7

 

Introduction

·         Plastics are widely used in the food sectors. They range from packaging, wraps, containers, kitchenware, baby bottles etc. Plastic packaging makes food more convenient and keeps food safe by providing physical protection. It prevents contamination and damage during transportation, delivery and storage.

·         Since plastics become an indispensable element in our daily lives, it is important to know about plastics, the safety and proper use of plastic products.

·         Plastics are mostly made from petrochemicals, consisting of carbon-containing compounds called polymers. These polymers are composed of repeated units of smaller carbon-containing compounds called monomers. Different arrangement of monomers within the polymer or different types of monomers used will yield different types of plastics with different properties and characteristics.

Plastic Identification Code for Recycling

·         A uniform system for the identification of plastic called Plastic Identification Code (PIC). This code is used to assist recycling process. It is normally found at the base of the plastic containers or printed at the side of the plastic packaging.

·         The consumers can use the PIC as a guide to identify the type of plastic. However, not all plastic packaging or containers are labeled with PIC.

·         There are seven types of plastic based on the PIC as shown in table below.

Plastic Identification Code (PIC)	Plastic Type	Properties	Common application for food
	PET or PETE Polyethylene Terephthalate	Clear, tough, barrier to gas and moisture	Bottles for soft drinks and water, jam container (e.g peanut butter)
	HDPE High Density Polyethylene	Hard to semi-flexible, resistant to moisture, permeability to gas	Milk bottles, juice bottles, grocery bags
	PVC, V Polyvinyl Chloride	Strong, tough, flexible, elastic	Cling films (not typically used for drinking bottles)
	LDPE Low Density Polyethylene	Soft, flexible, tough, scratches easily	Frozen food, cling films, container lids, squeezable bottles
	PP Polypropylene	Hard but still flexible, versatile, barrier to moisture	Microwaveable containers, lunch boxes, straws, kitchenwares
	PS Polystyrene	Rigid, brittle, semi-tough, affected by fats	Plastic cutlery, disposable cups and plates, take-away containers
	OTHER (Use of this code indicates that a package is made with plastic other than the six listed above)	Dependent on plastic or combination of plastics	Beverage bottles, baby milk bottles

Safety of Plastics

·         The use of a wide range of chemicals in the manufacture of plastics packaging and containers gives rise to concern amongst consumers.

·         Some chemicals can leach into the food since packaging can involve a long and intimate contact with the food during storage at wholesale, retail outlets, and in the home. However, the amount of chemicals leaching into the food depends on:

o    Nature of food - greater leaching of chemical tends to occur in fatty foods

o    Contact temperature - plastic leaches chemicals more readily at higher temperature

o    Contact time - food in contact with plastic for longer time can cause chemicals to leach into the food

Guide for Users: Tips for Safer Use of Plastic Packaging and Containers

·         Use only plastic containers labeled "microwave safe" in microwave ovens.

·         Read the manufacturer's instructions to ensure proper usage.

·         Avoid plastic wrap film in direct contact with food during reheating.

·         Avoid using plastic containers to reheat fatty foods.

·         Plastic packaging and containers that are used for commercial packaging of food and take away foods are meant for single use only. Do not reuse them for storage of other foods.

·         Discard old plastic containers that show signs of wear - such as scratches or a cloudy, crackled appearance.

·         Avoid using harsh detergent to clean the plastic containers to prevent chemical leaching.

·         Commercial plastic packaging or containers used for storing of non-food items should not be used for storing food.

·         For baby bottles:

o    Follow recommended guidelines to feed your infant

o    Discard scratched baby bottles and infant feeding cups

o    Do not pour boiled or very hot water or other liquids into baby bottles while preparing milk for child.

o    Boil water in other containers and allow it to cool not less than 70°C before mixing it with powdered infant formula.

o    Ready-to-feed liquid formula can be served at room temperature or gently warmed up by running warm water over the outside of the bottle.

o    Always remember: Do not heat baby bottles of any kind in the microwave - the liquid may heat unevenly and burn your infant.

o    Sterilise and clean bottles according to instructions on infant formula labels.

o    Check the labels on your bottles and food preparation containers.

References

·         Plastic Packaging Resins. The Plastic Division, American Chemistry Council, March, 2007.

·         Food Safety Facts - Cooking safety in the microwave oven. Information for Consumers. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. November, 2000.

·         U.S Department of Health & Human Services, Bisphenol A (BPA) Information for Parents

Last reviewed	:	06 July 2010
Writer	:	Susie Lu Ling