Bette Dowdell: Reading Recycle Codes: What the numbers mean

[Guest guest]

Open up, Carlene. It's Bette!Reading Recycle Codes: What the numbers mean All plastic bottles and containers have a recycle code on or near the bottom. Upend the container and look for a triangle, then check the number in the triangle. Here's are the ones you need to worry about: • 1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE), for one-time use only• 3 - Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) from phthalates• 6 - Polystyrene (PS) and styrofoam • 7 - Could be almost anything, but usually Bisphenol A When you see any of these numbers, run for your life. Or at least for your endocrine system because they all do a number on it. And plastic bottles and containers doesn't tell half the story about where these things lurk in wait. I wrote about #7, BPA, last time. You can check it out at http://budurl.com/sbpy. Polystyrene (#6) kicks the endocrine system in the shins, and it's particularly dangerous if you use it with fatty foods or alcohol. That leaves us with #1 and #3, both of which include phthalate. Have you been reading about phthalate? (THAL ate) Yikes! Talk about your basic poison! This stuff is murder! Phthalate is a softener added to plastics, cosmetics and everything else they can lay their hands on. What with the fact it contains bogus estrogen, phthalate knocks the endocrine system–thyroid, adrenals, etc.–for a loop. Your fertility takes a major hit, too. And as with so many things, kids get hit the worse. It starts in utero. Perhaps Mom uses a hair spray guaranteed to keep her hair in place without making it stiff. Phthalate. And maybe Mom gets her nails done with a polish that's extra crack resistant. Phthalate. Then there's the phthalate fixative in perfumes. And in room fresheners–even some that claim to be "all natural." And on, and on. But nobody's blowing the whistle to alert moms-to-be that this stuff goes straight to the baby and does dastardly things. And we're not talking about anything minor. For one instance, phthalate negatively affects the genital development of boys in utero. And birth just takes the baby from one toxic environment (the womb) to another (the home). Did you know that baby talc, baby shampoo and baby lotion may all contain phthalate? Not to mention soft teething rings. And bath toys. In one ray of good news, two big toy companies, Disney and Mattel, have agreed to phase out phthalate. And now they're finding that phthalate interferes with the necessary masculinizing of male infant brains. No more Waynes with phthalate around. Not to mention that it causes premature breast development in our baby girls. Next thing we know, they'll be selling bras and diapers in sets. And they're thinking that phthalate is behind the huge increase in allergies and asthma in recent years. Here's a mind boggler: If you ever need a blood transfusion, ask if they use phthalate-free tubing. As if you won't have enough problems at that point. Dialysis, anyone? Some people insist recycle code #1 is just hunky-dory and different from #3, but phthalate is phthalate. The Environmental Protection Agency has studies that prove exposure to even low doses of phthalate affects fetal development, among other things, but the FDA, politicized beyond recognition, issues nice little reports saying everything's just fine, move along, nothing to see here. They ignore the studies, then say a lack of studies proves their point. So what can we do to protect ourselves? Well, read recycle codes on containers for one thing. And read labels for everything else. Phthalate can be abbreviated as DEHP, DINP, DBP, DEP, or DIP. It's kind of like they don't want us to know. Personally, I'd suspect any group of letters ending in a P. Get shampoos, lotions, etc. from companies like Avalon Organics or Kiss My Face. Both companies make excellent products without all the poisons. I have no connection with either company; I just appreciate their products. At least Europe banned the stuff. Not the FDA, though. Big money in phthalate, don't you know. Until next time then.God is good, Bette Dowdell http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com P.S. Remember. I'm not a doctor, just a patient like you. Luckily for both of us, I've been studying this stuff for years. Knowledge is power. Moving to Health My new program teaches you, step by step, what you need to know to become your own health advocate. How your body works, how to tell when it's not working and what to do about it. How to love your thyroid. How to heal your small intestine. And on. And on.You can read about the Moving to Health program at http://MovingToHealth.com and listen to me talk about it at http://budurl.com/yw7w. If you're not ready for a complete program, check out Pep for the Pooped: Vitamins and Minerals Your Body Is Starving For–and get a free, sample chapter–at http://PepForThePooped.com Consult with Bette by phone. Details at Consult With Bette. Please forward this e-zine to friends and family. Everybody needs all the health help they can get. If a friend forwarded this e-mail to you, you can get on board by clicking here.Always consult your doctor about health issues. Bette Dowdell is not a doctor or other medical professional, and the content of the Too Pooped To Participate e-zine should not be viewed as healthcare diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed healthcare instruction. It is provided as general information only and no action should be taken based solely on the contents of this letter.

© 2011 by Bette Dowdell. All rights reservedP.O. Box 11744 - Glendale, AZ 85318 USA

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