Pay attention to the Triangle Code Under Your Plastic Packaging

Plastic packaging is a popular choice for carrying, storing, and maintaining the quality and freshness of food and drinks. Come on, check the bottom to find out if the plastic packaging that you are using is safe. Plastic can not be separated from our daily lives. Starting from the use of plastic bags to a place to eat or plastic drinking bottles. Many people use plastic packaging because it is practical, lightweight, can be used repeatedly, and is available in a variety of model and color choices.

Understanding the Meaning of Code Letters Under Plastic Packaging

If there are many places to eat and drink plastic bottles in your home, try checking the bottom. Usually there will be an arched triangle logo with code numbers 1 to 7 in it. In addition, there are also code letters below the triangle, namely PET or PETE, HDPE, PVC or V, LDPE, PP, PS, and OTHER. That is the plastic raw material code used. Curious as to what the numeric and letter codes mean, and is it safe for the body? Come on, we discuss one by one.

• Code 1 with PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)

This means that plastic packaging is made of polyethylene terephthalate. This plastic package is clear / clear, has a smooth surface, is not easily damaged or broken, can be used for hot food or drinks, and is strong. PETE is able to block oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide from getting in or out. Therefore, PETE is very suitable for packing carbonated (carbonated) soft drinks, mineral water, juices, sports drinks, beer, mouthwash, and sauces. The plastic bottle labeled PETE is safe to use, but only for one time use. Reusing plastic bottles made from PETE can be dangerous. PETE can wear off over time and dissolve into drinks. In addition, the water in bottles that are reused will appear DEHA toxin which is proven to cause liver problems, reproductive problems, hormonal disorders, and is thought to cause cancer.

• Code 2 with HDPE or PE-HD (high-density polyethylene)

This is a high-density polyethylene type plastic packaging. HDPE has good chemical resistance, therefore, it is used to make plastic bottles for milk or juice, shampoo, conditioner, detergent, cleaning, motor oil, bleach, gallons of refill drinking water, and others. Plastic bottles that read HDPE are safe to use more than once.

• Code 3 with PVC or V (polyvinyl chloride)

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is stable, strong, and flexible. PVC that is flexible is used for making medical waste containers, bathroom curtains, shrink wrap (plastic rolls for closing containers containing food or raw materials), and meat wrap. Whereas rigid PVC is used to make building materials, such as pipes, walls, window frames, and fences. But in fact, PVC can pose a serious health threat. Chemicals for making PVC plastic bottles are claimed to cause cancer and produce very high chlorine pollution. When used, additives in plastic bottles made from this can be separated and make humans exposed to lead, lead, and other toxic materials. Therefore, PVC is not allowed to be used as material for making plastic packaging for food and beverages.

• Code 4 with LDPE or PE-LD (low-density polyethylene)

This type of plastic is relatively hard, flexible, and transparent in color. Typically, this type of plastic is used for shopping plastic bags, garbage plastic bags, cling wrap, stretch films, beverage caps, milk cardboard linings, and toys.

• Code 5 with PP (polypropylene)

This type of plastic material can withstand high temperatures. This type of packaging made from polypropylene is often used to store food, drink bottles, baby drink bottles, yogurt and margarine containers, food wrappers, medicine bottles, sauces, and syrups. This type of plastic is very safe to use as a place for food and drinks.

• Code 6 with PS (polystyrene)

This polystyrene plastic packaging can be used in making cups, plates, bowls, spoons, forks, plastic containers, bottles, styrofoam containers, disposable drinking containers, and so on. However, this 6-coded plastic package is recommended to be avoided because it can be dangerous to health and difficult to recycle. PS contains toxic substances that are thought to cause eye irritation, digestive problems, cancer, and damage to the nervous system

• Code 7 with OTHER or O

If the plastic bottle that you have is labeled OTHER at the bottom, this means that the drinking water is not made from the six ingredients above. There are four types of plastics that are included in this category, namely styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and nylon.

According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, SAN and ABS may be used for food and beverage packaging, while PCs are prohibited from using them. Why? Because PC contains bisphenol A (BPA) which is thought to cause genetic disorders, cancer, metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes, reduce life expectancy, and interfere with growth, when tested on animals. In addition, if you use BPA products, these chemicals can be detected in the blood of pregnant women and human milk. Before buying a place to eat or drink plastic bottles, it is recommended to read the code under the packaging. Do not let you choose the wrong or even buy bottles that are not labeled at all.