# Chemicals Released by Plastic



## ScienceGirl (Mar 24, 2013)

_The plastic v.s. glass, BPA free, global warming and pollution debates have been dominating headlines, articles, and newspapers. But where are the facts? Where are studies that you can really believe? Just search "chemicals released by plastic" into your favorite search engine, and you'll be shocked, and perhaps overwhelmed. I have put together a list of studies with compelling evidence so that you can form your own opinions._

*Below I have listed quality, trustworthy studies and articles from reliable sources relevent to chemicals being released by plastic. If you find quality info on either side of this debate, please do post it!  *

The "YES" Side. Plastics DO release toxins

Summary: Plastic products are releasing chemicals from the time that they are produced. Among the 47 chemical plants ranked highest in carcinogenic emissions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 35 are involved in plastic production. Toxic chemicals are used just to produce to plastic included: trichloroethane, acetone, methylene chloride, methyl ethyl ketone, styrene, toluene, benzene and 1,1,1 trichloroethane. Sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, ethylene oxide, methanol, and other volatile organic compounds are released from plastic production. Though some plastic products are being labeled as "BPA free," other chemicals with less-known effects are replacing them. A study by NPR (cited below) found and stated that "_more than 70 percent of the products released chemicals that acted like estrogen. And that was before they exposed the stuff to real-world conditions: simulated sunlight, dishwashing and microwaving._" If plastics are having these kind of effects on humans and the environment, they definately are effecting insects.

*SOURCES studies, articles, evidence:*


"Most plastic products, from sippy cups to food wraps, can release chemicals that act like the sex hormone estrogen, according to a study in _Environmental Health Perspectives. The study found these chemicals even in products that didn't contain BPA, a compound in certain plastics that's been widely criticized because it mimics estrogen. PlastiPure manufactures water bottles that it says have no estrogenic chemicals. Many plastic products are now marketed as BPA-free, and manufacturers have begun substituting other chemicals whose effects aren't as well known. But it's still unclear whether people are being harmed by BPA or any other so-called estrogenic chemicals in plastics. Most studies of health effects have been done in mice and rats. [...] The testing showed that more than 70 percent of the products released chemicals that acted like estrogen. And that was before they exposed the stuff to real-world conditions: simulated sunlight, dishwashing and microwaving, Bittner says.- Study done by NPR http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicals _
Hamilton, Jon. "Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals." _NPR_. Public Broadcasting System (PBS), 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicals.


Study done by RoyalSocietyPublishing.org. "Transport and Release of Chemicals From Plastics to the Environment and Wildlife" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/
Plastic Myth Buster. http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/main-menu/plastics-rumor-registry/freezing-plastic-water-bottles-releases-dioxins-into-water-
Plastic Bottles Release Potentially Harmful Chemicals (Bisphenol A) After Contact With Hot Liquids http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092108.htm
Study by PMC, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. "Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/
Article/Study by GreenBiz "BPA-Free Plastic May Release Chemicals with Estrogenic Activity" http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/03/03/bpa-free-plastics-release-chemicals-estrogenic-activity
The New Yorker, "The Plastic Panic." http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/05/31/100531fa_fact_groopman
Study by Rodale - where health meet life. "Study: All Plastics Are Bad for Your Body" http://www.rodale.com/chemicals-plastic
"Plastics are essentially a byproduct of petroleum refining – and, of course, petroleum is a non-renewable and rapidly declining resource. The components of oil or natural gas are heated in a “cracking” process, yielding hydrocarbon monomers that are then chemically bonded into polymers, which are long-chain molecules. Different combinations of monomers produce polymers with different characteristics. Additionally, various chemicals such as plasticizers, antioxidants, anti-static agents, colorants, flame retardants, heat stabilizers and barrier resins are added to give plastic products their performance properties.Among the 47 chemical plants ranked highest in carcinogenic emissions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 35 are involved in plastic production.

Significant releases of toxic chemicals included trichloroethane, acetone, methylene chloride, methyl ethyl ketone, styrene, toluene, benzene and 1,1,1 trichloroethane. Other major emissions from plastic production processes include sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, ethylene oxide, methanol, and other volatile organic compounds.

Dioxins, which are highly toxic even at low doses, are produced when plastics are manufactured or incinerated. While dioxin levels in the environment have been declining for the last 30 years, they break down so slowly that some of the dioxins from past releases will still be in the environment for many years to come.

The Berkeley Plastics Task Force says that although the refining process uses waste minimization methods, air emissions are still high because of inherent difficulties in handling large flows of pressurized gases.

Manufacturing PET resin generates more toxic emissions (nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide, benzene) than manufacturing glass. Producing a PET bottle generates more than 100 times the toxic emissions to air and water than making the same size bottle out of glass, according to the Berkeley Plastics Task Force.

PVC is another type of plastic that presents notorious environmental problems. Its manufacture involves the use of hazardous raw materials, including the basic building block of plastic, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), which is explosive, highly toxic and carcinogenic. PVC production facilities have a long history of generating complex and hazardous chlorinated wastes, some of which are inevitably released into the surrounding environment.

*Health Issues*

People are exposed to these chemicals not only from the manufacturing process, but also by using products made from plastic, by eating food contained in plastic packaging and even by breathing them as they off-gas in the indoor environment.

One substance of concern is Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor that has been widely used in polycarbonate products like food containers, water bottles, baby bottles, eyeglass lenses, nail polish, dental sealants, water pipes and the plastic lining of food cans. (Some plastics bearing the numbers 03 and 07 - see chart above - have been found to leach BPA.) Endocrine disruptors behave like the hormones estrogen and androgen and could wreak havoc on the body’s endocrine system. The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Training reported in its newsletter in 2000 that University of Missouri researchers found that extremely low amounts – 100,000 times smaller than thought – of BPA causes reproductive problems in mice.

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Cincinnati announced in the journal _Toxicology Letters_ that when polycarbonate bottles were exposed to boiling water, BPA was released 55 times more rapidly than when exposed to cold water. That finding had huge implications, given the widespread use of this plastic for baby bottles, which are regularly boiled for sterilization purposes."

Article by Natural Life: "*Eliminating Plastic From Our Lives*" http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0806/asknl.htm
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*Immediate Danger to Captive Mantids*

*As of this research, no chemicals or compounds have been isolated and proven, studied, or tested to cause harm to mantids in any way.*



*___________________________________________________________________________________*

*Precautions That You Can Take*


*Do not clean or sanitize plastic mantid housing with boiling water.*
*Do not heat plastic mantid housing to extreme temperatures beyond what is necessary. (We're talking EXTREME temps.  )*
*Do not offer mantids or feeder insects water that has been purified or heated in plastic containers. Do not offer mantids or feeder insects water in a plastic container that has been sitting in hot sunlight.*
-This information has been compiled by ScienceGirl, the summary is original work that compiles the information found in the above cited studies and articles.-


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## Tony C (Mar 24, 2013)

These studies are inconclusive at best. They focus on the release of BPA under temperatures that would kill insects (boiling, autoclaving, microwaving), and also measure effects in mammals rather than insects. Since estrogen and other sex hormones are generally absent in insects it is impossible to draw reliable conclusions based on mammalian studies.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 24, 2013)

Tony C said:


> These studies are inconclusive at best. They focus on the release of BPA under temperatures that would kill insects (boiling, autoclaving, microwaving), and also measure effects in mammals rather than insects. Since estrogen and other sex hormones are generally absent in insects it is impossible to draw reliable conclusions based on mammalian studies.


If these are effecting mammals and fish, it can be inferred that there are other effects not shown or tested in studies.

*You are welcome to present more information and sources that you can find and support(against, for, or indecisive of chemicals in plastics, and their insect effect.)*  :euro: 

The whole plastic debate should be known by mantis keepers and other people, so that they can make their own decisions.


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## Rick (Mar 25, 2013)

I'm more worried about this in regards to myself than I am to mantids. Under the typical conditions we keep mantids I doubt it is a problem.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 25, 2013)

Rick said:


> I'm more worried about this in regards to myself than I am to mantids. Under the typical conditions we keep mantids I doubt it is a problem.


Yes. My thought is, that if plastic and its chemicals are having this kind of effect on humans and mammals, than there must be something going on for mantids and other invertabrae, too.

I know that glass housing for mantids is more difficult to find, and glass terrariums can be an issue of size and money for some people.

Our family uses a glass terrarium with a heater underneath it for the crested gecko, but we contain our feeder crickets in an unheated, plastic, cage.


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## Tony C (Mar 25, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> If these are effecting mammals and fish, it can be inferred that there are other effects not shown or tested in studies.
> 
> *You are welcome to present more information and sources that you can find and support(against, for, or indecisive of chemicals in plastics, and their insect effect.)*  :euro:
> 
> The whole plastic debate should be known by mantis keepers and other people, so that they can make their own decisions.


You cannot simply infer that the effects on mammals or fish will be mirrored in insects because *sex hormones like estrogen are absent* in most insects, and in the few that do have them they seem to serve a function other than sexual development. There is very little research available on the subject of sex hormones in insects and as far as I can tell none looking into adverse effects from exposure because it simply does not make sense to study that which is near nonexistent.


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## Bug Trader (Mar 25, 2013)

But do you have any documentation that suggests the use of these plastic tubs and bins are directly causing harm to the invertebrates under the normal hobby use and conditions?

I could see boiling water releasing chemicals but as far as I know there are no documented cases where heat tape has caused a fume or chemical release in a rubbermaid or any other tup used in the herp hobby. It doesnt get hot enough nor would we put these critters in the temp ranges that would risk it.


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## lancaster1313 (Mar 26, 2013)

I prefer to use plastic. It is easier to attach decor to and climb on. It can also be scratched up for creatures that need some extra grip and replaced inexpensively.

If it were that harmful, someone would have surely noticed it by now.

The best part for me is that anyone can get a container and make an enclosure. More people will be able to enjoy and accept the keeping of the small creatures, without finding that they have spent hundreds of dollars to keep something that lives little more than a year.

Many hobbyists have been safely using plastics for years.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 26, 2013)

Tony C said:


> You cannot simply infer that the effects on mammals or fish will be mirrored in insects because *sex hormones like estrogen are absent* in most insects, and in the few that do have them they seem to serve a function other than sexual development. There is very little research available on the subject of sex hormones in insects and as far as I can tell none looking into adverse effects from exposure because it simply does not make sense to study that which is near nonexistent.


I'm not inferring that the effects are the _same._ If plastic releases _toxic, volatile_ compounds, please tell me how this would not have _any _effect on insects, invertebraes, and the environment.



Bug Trader said:


> But do you have any documentation that suggests the use of these plastic tubs and bins are directly causing harm to the invertebrates under the normal hobby use and conditions?
> 
> I could see boiling water releasing chemicals but as far as I know there are no documented cases where heat tape has caused a fume or chemical release in a rubbermaid or any other tup used in the herp hobby. It doesnt get hot enough nor would we put these critters in the temp ranges that would risk it.


I see no great reason for concern, or a reason to condemn the use of plastic yet. I have found no studies online on the use of plastic caging for invertebraes or mantids, but there are some on the environment. Scientists and health officials have a priority: humans and their safety. Perhaps new studies will follow? My thinking of it is, if plastic releases hormone inbalancers, and "Among the *47 chemical plants ranked highest in carcinogenic emissions* by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), *35* are involved in plastic production. Toxic chemicals are used just to produce to plastic included: *trichloroethane, acetone, methylene chloride, methyl ethyl ketone, styrene, toluene, benzene and 1,1,1 trichloroethane*. *Sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, ethylene oxide, methanol, and other volatile organic compounds *are released from plastic production," then there is an effect on other living creatures. If chemicals being released are labeled _toxic_ by the U.S. *Environmental Protection *Agency, then there are toxic effects, even if we can't see them... There are no studies suggesting that plastic does not release bad things... What do you think?



likebugs said:


> I prefer to use plastic. It is easier to attach decor to and climb on. It can also be scratched up for creatures that need some extra grip and replaced inexpensively.
> 
> If it were that harmful, someone would have surely noticed it by now.
> 
> ...


Yes, it certainly is easier to get a hold of. They come in more sizes, too, so you can pick your cage, rather than asking yourself: "Hmmm... Wide-mouthed glass peanut butter jar, or monsterous terrarium?..." I believe that I also read somewhere that thicker plastic, the kind used in tupperware and most terrariums, is safer than thinner plastic, like you might get food from the deli in.


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## Tony C (Mar 26, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> I'm not inferring that the effects are the _same._ If plastic releases _toxic, volatile_ compounds, please tell me how this would not have _any _effect on insects, invertebraes, and the environment.


Did you even read the articles you posted, or just skim the titles?

The compounds of concern in plastics are estrogen-like substances such as BPA. We still on the same page here? Next point, estrogen is absent in the vast majority of insects, and in the few that seem to produce estrogen or related compounds they appear to be mostly unrelated to sexual development. Got that? Now, If the hormone is absent in insects then what effect is it that you are claiming it has on mantids?

The release of noxious compounds during the manufacture or incineration of plastic products is a completely separate issue irrelevant to mantis husbandry.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 26, 2013)

Tony C said:


> Did you even read the articles you posted, or just skim the titles?
> 
> The compounds of concern in plastics are estrogen-like substances such as BPA. We still on the same page here? Next point, estrogen is absent in the vast majority of insects, and in the few that seem to produce estrogen or related compounds they appear to be mostly unrelated to sexual development. Got that? Now, If the hormone is absent in insects then what effect is it that you are claiming it has on mantids?
> 
> The release of noxious compounds during the manufacture or incineration of plastic products is a completely separate issue irrelevant to mantis husbandry.


I read and analysed the articles, thank you.

If toxic chemicals are used to make the plastic, they are still present in the plastic. I'm not looking at estrogen for insects, as the mantids whose health we are focusing on have none.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 26, 2013)

Do you have proof that the "toxic chemicals," as labeled by the U.S. *Environmental Protection *Agency are having no effect on insects?


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## Tony C (Mar 26, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> Do you have proof that the "toxic chemicals," as labeled by the U.S. *Environmental Protection *Agency are having no effect on insects?


Have you observed any of those symptoms in mantids housed in plastic enclosures? Do you even know what plastics, if any use trichloroethane in their manufacturing process and how much, if any, remains in the finished product? Does the EPA, FDA, or any other relevant government agency allow trichloroethane to be present in the food-grade plastics typically used for insect housing?

Since your "research" seems to be comprised primarily of pop media articles and wikipedia, why didn't you quote this part of the wiki article?



> The Montreal Protocol targeted 1,1,1-trichloroethane as one of those compounds responsible for ozone depletion and banned its use beginning in 1996. Since then, its manufacture and use has been phased out throughout most of the world.


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## Bug Trader (Mar 26, 2013)

ScienceGirl said:


> Do you have proof that the "toxic chemicals," as labeled by the U.S. *Environmental Protection *Agency are having no effect on insects?


ScienceGirl you are the one who posted up warnings, I asked you for related proof on whether these chemicals, or plastics are a threat to our critters under normal husbandry conditions, now you are asking us to prove their safe............? Can you site me any evidence that these harmfull chemicals have hurt our invertebrates on any level under normal conditions? We are not baking, or boiling these containers witht he mantids in them. Food grade or not these plastics are used under safe conditions and were they a threat someone would have experienced mass losses by now. I have kept inverts, pythons, boas, colubrids, geckos, amphibians and many many thousands of them in hatchling tubs and racks for many years now as have thousands of others in the herp community. Under our normal use and conditionsthey are kept in we would have seen something by now.


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## glock34girl (Mar 27, 2013)

Lots of big words here but all the plastic stuff I see now normally has a sticker that says... BPA free and I remember seeing a report on the tele where it talked about leaving bottles of water in a car in summer where temps here can split dashboards and break windows. I understood it to be that the toxins were released into the water and injested by the human. I have to agree with others, the mantids aren't exposed to temperatures that would trigger the release of toxins and if the toxins were truly detrimental surely the hobby would have figured that out in the last 30 years. But, I am just a red-neck and all the words are multi syllabic so I have no clue what is really happening but I do tell my students if they site wiki in their work its an automatic F.


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 27, 2013)

The sad thing is that the government doesn't offer money or grants for "hobbies," and the effect of plastic on wild mantids probably wouldn't have a cause for research, as they are not confined in plastic terrariums... (Sigh)

If only there were research projects for our sweet pets.

Maybe the hemolymph (this is what honey bees have. mantids too?) of mantids could be tested in a lab and a study could be done... Alas, I have no access to in-depth tools yet..


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## ScienceGirl (Mar 27, 2013)

glock34girl said:


> Lots of big words here but all the plastic stuff I see now normally has a sticker that says... BPA free and I remember seeing a report on the tele where it talked about leaving bottles of water in a car in summer where temps here can split dashboards and break windows. I understood it to be that the toxins were released into the water and injested by the human. I have to agree with others, the mantids aren't exposed to temperatures that would trigger the release of toxins and if the toxins were truly detrimental surely the hobby would have figured that out in the last 30 years. But, I am just a red-neck and all the words are multi syllabic so I have no clue what is really happening but I do tell my students if they site wiki in their work its an automatic F.


In one of the articles cited on the first post, it was stated that in "BPA" free items, some companies replace the better known hazardous chemicals with lesser known chemicals whose effects have not been as researched. It did not give a list of companies that do this, though.

Oh, and I edited the first post.  

Wikipedia? On the first post, where I cited trustworthy sources, wikipedia was not cited once. Does that give me an A?  Haha!  And I have not found studies on mantis or other invertebrae studies. The government does not offer money for "hobbies," and research can be expected to not go into invertebrae and plastic, because in the environment, they aren't caged in plastic and don't use it.

Since there is no actual studies that anyone has found on the effects of plastic on captive mantids, we can't claim anything. However, (read the edited first post, bottom of page) people worried about their mantids can take precautions. Any more precautions that should be listed?



Bug Trader said:


> ScienceGirl you are the one who posted up warnings, I asked you for related proof on whether these chemicals, or plastics are a threat to our critters under normal husbandry conditions, now you are asking us to prove their safe............? Can you site me any evidence that these harmfull chemicals have hurt our invertebrates on any level under normal conditions? We are not baking, or boiling these containers witht he mantids in them. Food grade or not these plastics are used under safe conditions and were they a threat someone would have experienced mass losses by now. I have kept inverts, pythons, boas, colubrids, geckos, amphibians and many many thousands of them in hatchling tubs and racks for many years now as have thousands of others in the herp community. Under our normal use and conditionsthey are kept in we would have seen something by now.





Bug Trader said:


> ScienceGirl you are the one who posted up warnings, I asked you for related proof on whether these chemicals, or plastics are a threat to our critters under normal husbandry conditions, now you are asking us to prove their safe............? Can you site me any evidence that these harmfull chemicals have hurt our invertebrates on any level under normal conditions? We are not baking, or boiling these containers witht he mantids in them. Food grade or not these plastics are used under safe conditions and were they a threat someone would have experienced mass losses by now. I have kept inverts, pythons, boas, colubrids, geckos, amphibians and many many thousands of them in hatchling tubs and racks for many years now as have thousands of others in the herp community. Under our normal use and conditionsthey are kept in we would have seen something by now.


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