This guest-post is brought to you by ColourfulWorld.

It is undeniable that plastics is our way of life. From food containers to industry parts, we rely heavily on the strength, durability and convenience of plastics. A world without plastics would be incomprehensible indeed. However, improper usage of plastics, especially those dealing with food and water, would mean potential health hazard to our body.

Image source: Univ. Cambridge.

Currently there are a total of 7 categories of plastics according to the resin identification code developed by the Society of Plastics Industry in 1988. How to identify what type of plastics you are using? Just turn your plastic items upside down and you will see an universal recycling symbol with a number (1 to 7) in the middle. If you can’t find any symbols and numbers, you can always use the interactive polymer identification chart.

It is important that we understand the concept of plastics formation and types of plastic (resin group and associated household products) possessing the potential health hazard if misused. Generally, the everyday consumer household products that we use such as water bottles, plates, bowls, cups, containers, water pipes etc. are formed using thermoplastic. A thermoplastic is a plastic that is influenced by temperature change. When heated sufficiently it will melt into liquid form and when cooled sufficiently, it will freeze into solid form. With this unique property, thermoplastics can be reshaped upon reheating. The following chart from University of Cambridge sums up the thermoplastics that we use daily:

Image source: Plastic sorting chart @ University of Cambridge.

The advantages of thermoplastics to the manufacturing and recycling industires are, at the same time the disadvantages to the consumers. Heat transfer through conduction (solid), convection (liquid and gas) and radiation (solar radiation consisting UV, visible light and IR) will provide the required energy to excite the plastic particles until the thermal energy is high enough for the particles to overcome their bonding energy, breaking away from the chain. Put in simple terms, sufficient ambient temperature, sunlight or a combination of both will cause thermoplastic to degrade progressively. Once degraded, the “loose” portion of plastic polymer will blend with food / water which is stored inside of the plastic container. These culprits are the cause of many known health issues such as genetic mutation, cancer and hormone disruption.

There are many ways to determine if the thermoplastics you use are degrading. If you detect tiny scratch marks, multiple hairy crack lines, dented / uneven surface due to heating, discolouration (decreased transparency, colour fade), on any part of the thermoplastic after multiple usage, chances are the thermoplastic is no longer fit for use. If you are daring enough, you can always go for the tasting / smelling method (for plain water only). If you don’t know the exact plastic taste and smell. Here’s a way to learn it. Boil the water and pour it into a plastic container, let it cool down for a few minutes then taste or smell it. Prevention is better than cure. Therefore, in order to use thermoplastic products safely, we should follow some rules of thumb:

1. Avoid exposing any containers (especially Type 3 PVC) under direct sunlight for long duration. This is to prevent solar UV from damaging the polymer chain.
2. Avoid exposing any containers in high temperature environment for long duration. The heat will breakdown the polymer chain.
3. Avoid using any containers to store hot water, especially boiling water. The logic is the same as rule no 2.
4. Avoid using polystyrene container at all times. Polystyrene is specially reactive towards fat. According to an article in Grinning Planet, the higher the fat content in food, the higher the rate of polystyrene migration into the food itself. Watch the following video and you will know how hazardous polystyrene is to our health.
5. Not all thermoplastics are microwave-safe so avoid using them in microwave oven even though the one you use is labelled “microwave-safe”. Further details can be found here.

Theoretically if you could keep the thermoplastics away from heat and solar radiation, the lifespan of thermoplastics will be prolonged. However due to complexity of condition where the thermoplastics are in constant contact with various kind of food,liquid and cleaning agent, various chemical reactions might take place accelerating the degradation of thermoplastic itself. If possible, replace all plastics with more environmental friendly matter such as ceramic, stainless steel or glass.

ColourfulWorld is a 24 year old confident and imaginative Leo who likes to explore almost everything in the world he is currently in. Being verbally and cerebrally quick, he often thinks too much and likes to break rules. Nevertheless, he understands that there is no limit to gain of knowledge and wisdom therefore he’s now actively seeking what he wants though sometimes procrastination could get the better of him.

The “Save the Ocean” campaign has come and gone, and I am glad I survived this group-writing project! Truth be told, only a little more than half of the proposed topics were taken up and written by fellow guest bloggers, and yeah, I had to write the remaining ones. But I’m glad I did, because it has given me a chance to learn more about saving our oceans! :D

Image credit: Kalandrakas.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to everybody who has participated in the campaign, directly or indirectly. Your involvement in the campaign means a lot to me, and I truly appreciate your support. To my dear guest-bloggers, thank you for making the campaign so successful, and I do look forward to working with you again :D

Now, on to the poll that was conducted throughout the campaign.

I am glad that 60% of my readers felt that they had somehow or the other benefited from the campaign. My guest-bloggers and I have put in a lot of care to ensure that the articles published were easily understood. And though some of the articles were a tad too lengthy, they do contain a part of the writer what we could not otherwise learn about :D

The other 40% of my respondents said that the campaign could be better, and of course, I thought so too. We all learn from our mistakes and strive to do better in whatever we choose to do.

One more thing, if you would like to learn more about saving our oceans, I would definitely recommend David Helvarg’s 50 Ways To Save The Ocean. In fact, this campaign was inspired by David’s book, and all the proposed tips were taken from his book, which was written in a very simple-to-understand way.

Once again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

This post is written for the “Save the Ocean” group-writing project.

It is very important to have a minister who is concerned about the environment in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (in Malaysia) instead of somebody who holds the post because he was offered it, or somebody who is into it because it pays better. Similarly, in any environment-related NGOs such as the Malaysian Nature Society or the WWF, we need leaders who are proactive and who will protect the environment at all costs.

Here’s how you can ensure that the person you vote for will protect the environment (and the coasts):

• Learn who your representatives are (get to know them) and where they stand on key environment/ocean protection measures.
• Write or call your elected officials to tell them that your support will depend on their taking strong conservation position on issues relating to the environment.
• Attend an ocean conservation meeting or other gathering aimed at building an effective ocean constituency.

January 2008 is “Save the Ocean” month here at The Giving Hands. Click here for more information on how you too, can save our oceans, and remember to subscribe to The Giving Hands for your daily updates!