the tea leaves say I'm gonna die one sunny day I suppose this day was coming, but it's still frustrating to realize that the safest bet might be to get rid of plastic as a method of food storage. I have gotten into the habit of re-using plastic water bottles, and I store leftovers in plastic dishes. I gave up re-heating said food in those dishes, but it sounds like I might need to take it a step further.

Both the FDA and Health Canada warns that using plastic containers and wrap for anything than their original purpose can cause health problems. In most cases this means not reusing plastic containers or water bottles.

The main concern is with food becoming contaminated due to leakage of the chemicals used to manufacture plastic, especially when the plastic is heated or damaged. Depending on the type, plastics can contain bisphenol A (BPA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-2-ethylhexyl-adipate (DEHA) or polyvinyl chloride/PVC. While none of these chemicals are healthy for us, BPA is proving to be highly toxic, linked to different cancers along with endocrine and hormone disruption.

I was also interested to see this story in the Globe and Mail today:

Ontario could become the first jurisdiction in Canada to place restrictions on bisphenol A, a controversial chemical that is found in hundreds of consumer products, ranging from plastic baby bottles to sports helmets and the resin linings on the insides of most tin cans.

Although Health Canada is currently assessing the safety of bisphenol A, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday the province won't wait until Ottawa rules on the chemical's safety.

It's a challenge to keep track of the safest way to live your life sometimes! I guess I'll be shopping for some kind of aluminum or stainless steel water bottles.  | ¶ 1:25 p.m.