Eco Building

Plastics, Particleboard & the Microwave

By Slyon ⋅  Email ⋅  Print ⋅

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Some people have an innate aversion to certain items that turn out to be harmful. Most people may have a natural aversion to harmful products but they learn to override their gut instincts in the name of convenience or fitting in.

I never really understood why I avoided certain products but I just felt that they had no place in a clean, classy life. I have had fairly heated disagreements with my significant others who proclaimed me a prima donna or worse. Now that I know these products are toxic, I have to believe that my instincts were protecting me. Incidentally, I also detest carpeting and canned foods but that is a topic for another day.

Plastics
I have always disliked Tupperware and other such plastics designed for food storage. I swore up and down that the food and water tasted different when stored or cooked in the plastic. I even used the argument with my ex-husband that nobody on the Food Channel (or restaurants) uses plastic bowls. Plastic in the kitchen seems so tacky and unnatural to me that I always made a point of using glass or ceramic. I even went so far to feed my cats out of glass bowls.

As it turns out plastic is very toxic particularly when microwaved. It releases dioxins into your food or water which are known carcinogens. Soft plastics are worse than the hard plastics and contain endocrine disruptors which can disrupt fertility, harm a fetus and more. Other molded plastics like the ones used for computer monitors release a dust which are now known to cause a number of health problems.

This is an excerpt taken from “Get Plastic Out of Your Diet“by Paul Goettlich at www.mindfully.org:

If one were to listen only to nonprofits and the industry, it would be natural to think that only the additives are toxic and migrate. But everything about plastics is toxic — both the additives and the base plastics. And both migrate in quantities that are problematic at extremely low concentrations. Some chemicals are obviously more so than others. But it is undeniable that they all migrate all the time into everything that they touch.

Even if it wasn’t toxic, there is something very unappealing about a scratched stained warped bowl vs. a beautiful clear glass, wood or ceramic container. If you are worried about breaking it then don’t drop it.

Particleboard
When I was in college I bought myself my first desk. It was roughly $100 and made entirely of particleboard covered in some sort of wood looking laminate It came in a box and I had to put the whole thing together myself. I was pretty proud of myself for purchasing my first piece of furniture and assembling the whole thing unassisted.

There is no question however, that I would have preferred a solid wood desk. I felt I could only afford a build it yourself model but that it was still cheap and tacky. Since that time I have made a point of furnishing my home with solid wood furnishings if at all possible. They just give me a better feeling which is a basic premise of feng shui.

As it turns out my instincts were right on target again. It turns out that both particleboard and plywood are made with formaldehyde of all things. This formaldehyde “offgasses” from porous surfaces and you breathe the result. Particleboard is made from a particularly toxic form called urea formaldehyde and it contains a large percentage of formaldehyde-containing glue.

Apparently you can buy sealants to prevent offgassing from dangerous surfaces but doesn’t it make more sense not to fill your home with this junk in the first place? Go a step further and purchase someone else’s used furniture made from quality non-toxic materials and reduce waste in the world.

Microwave
Other than making microwave popcorn, I have long despised microwaved food and beverages. I think they taste like crap. Even water that has been boiled by stove top or kettle vs. heated in a microwave tastes totally different to me. (I don’t know why the popcorn never bothered me).

About a year ago I found a study somewhere on the internet that showed a rise in white blood cell counts in people after eating microwaved foods. The interpretation? That your body sees microwaved foods and beverages as invaders rather than food. I took my microwave to the curb immediately and I refuse to eat or drink from a microwave since.

I have since read of people who do a simple “science experiment” with two plants. They water one plant with tap water or stove heated & cooled water and one plant with water that has been boiled in the microwave and then cooled. The result? The microwaved water plant dies. Check out this link to see photos of the alleged science experiment. In all fairness, check out this link which refutes the microwave water theory. Google “microwave water plants” and check out other people’s experiments for yourself.

Interestingly, most people I mention this to seem to think I am some kind of wacko conspiracy theorist and they are willing to risk raising their white blood cell counts for a bit of convenience. Even if I am wrong what did I lose? I am erring on the side of caution. Please dont forget that microwaved food still tastes like crap whether it is safe or not.

What is the moral of this story? If you are serious about taking an active and conscious role in your health and vitality then pay attention to your gut instincts. They could be right on.

www.whatstoxic.com
Img Source: http://flickr.com/photos/hotreactor/31878365/

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