It has just occurred to me that I know a lot about plastics and food storage, since I began researching the topic when my now 15 yo daughter did a science fair project back when she was in the 5th grade.
There is a lot of mis-information out there regarding what is safe vs. unsafe and why.
So I'll start at the beginning
"Food safe" plastics are made in molds with different release chemicals than plastics made for other storage purposes. Never store food in buckets not labeled "food safe", in Rubbermaid/Sterilite type bins or in plastic garbage bin without a barrier (such as a foil-Mylar bag) between the actual food and the plastic container. Never store food in any type of bag intended/manufactured for disposal of garbage or plastic wrap such as the type used to hold things together for shipping--these bags/films are not food safe for many reasons, including the addition of deodorizing and uv stabilization ingredients. Ensure that your plastic wrap, zip-top bags, and other food-storage bags (such as bread bags and fold-top sandwich bags) are made by a reputable manufacturer so that you can be sure they are made of polypropylene and don't contain additives such as lead.
Most plastics produced today are labelled with a number:
In short terms, look for plastic labelled with numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 for safety. My family sticks with 2, 4, and 5 for any plastic items we do buy, and we generally only store our food in glass or Pyrex, or stainless steel containers (except for a few Tupperware freezer containers). We invested in stainless steel water bottles 5 years ago, and despite a couple of dents from being dropped they are still in great condition.
Tupperware and Rubbermaid brand food storage containers, as well as the more "disposable" Gladware and Ziploc plastic containers are generally made of #5 PP Polypropylene so are considered pretty safe.
Microwaveable containers and re-fillable 5 gallon water-cooler bottles are often made of a Lexan-type #7 PC Polycarbonate plastic and are NOT considered safe in Canada by our government because PC Polycarbonate contains Bisphenol-A BPA (along with PC Polycarbonate baby bottles and PC Polycarbonate water bottles such as those that were made by Nalgene until recently). BPA is dangerous because it is an "endocrine-disruptor" and acts like synthetic estrogen in the human body and has also been found to be carcinogenic.
Some cheaper types of plastic wrap (some of the really BIG rolls) are made of #3 PVC Polyvinyl Chloride and are dangerous to human health (along with many cheap "rubber ducky" type plastic toys and baby blocks) because they contain pthalates which are "endocrine-disruptors" which act like synthetic estrogen in the human body and have also been found to be carcinogenic.
BPA and pthalates are two of the more dangerous components of the "unsafe" plastics, but as you can see from the information quoted above there are other plastics constituents that are questionable. Watch labeling, because often these days plastics that have never contained BPA are labeled "BPA free" because it's a buzz-word phrase these days. If you avoid the unsafe plastics, you never need to worry about BPA.
As an aside, if you are into scrapbooking or caring for photographs and other memorabilia you will often find that photo albums are labeled as "acid free" but that the labeling with ignore the fact that this term only refers to paper products and adhesives (paper and adhesives that contain, often natural, acids cause paper/photos to yellow prematurely). If you want to keep your photos and memorabilia safe from degradation, ensure that the plastics used for storing important photos and memorabilia are polypropylene, mylar (not the metalized stuff obviously) and polyester. PVC plastic damages photos and paper memorabilia by leaching plasticizers/oily substances.
There is a lot of mis-information out there regarding what is safe vs. unsafe and why.
So I'll start at the beginning
"Food safe" plastics are made in molds with different release chemicals than plastics made for other storage purposes. Never store food in buckets not labeled "food safe", in Rubbermaid/Sterilite type bins or in plastic garbage bin without a barrier (such as a foil-Mylar bag) between the actual food and the plastic container. Never store food in any type of bag intended/manufactured for disposal of garbage or plastic wrap such as the type used to hold things together for shipping--these bags/films are not food safe for many reasons, including the addition of deodorizing and uv stabilization ingredients. Ensure that your plastic wrap, zip-top bags, and other food-storage bags (such as bread bags and fold-top sandwich bags) are made by a reputable manufacturer so that you can be sure they are made of polypropylene and don't contain additives such as lead.
Most plastics produced today are labelled with a number:
That's a long read, but it's very important information to be aware of.
In short terms, look for plastic labelled with numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 for safety. My family sticks with 2, 4, and 5 for any plastic items we do buy, and we generally only store our food in glass or Pyrex, or stainless steel containers (except for a few Tupperware freezer containers). We invested in stainless steel water bottles 5 years ago, and despite a couple of dents from being dropped they are still in great condition.
Tupperware and Rubbermaid brand food storage containers, as well as the more "disposable" Gladware and Ziploc plastic containers are generally made of #5 PP Polypropylene so are considered pretty safe.
Microwaveable containers and re-fillable 5 gallon water-cooler bottles are often made of a Lexan-type #7 PC Polycarbonate plastic and are NOT considered safe in Canada by our government because PC Polycarbonate contains Bisphenol-A BPA (along with PC Polycarbonate baby bottles and PC Polycarbonate water bottles such as those that were made by Nalgene until recently). BPA is dangerous because it is an "endocrine-disruptor" and acts like synthetic estrogen in the human body and has also been found to be carcinogenic.
Some cheaper types of plastic wrap (some of the really BIG rolls) are made of #3 PVC Polyvinyl Chloride and are dangerous to human health (along with many cheap "rubber ducky" type plastic toys and baby blocks) because they contain pthalates which are "endocrine-disruptors" which act like synthetic estrogen in the human body and have also been found to be carcinogenic.
BPA and pthalates are two of the more dangerous components of the "unsafe" plastics, but as you can see from the information quoted above there are other plastics constituents that are questionable. Watch labeling, because often these days plastics that have never contained BPA are labeled "BPA free" because it's a buzz-word phrase these days. If you avoid the unsafe plastics, you never need to worry about BPA.
As an aside, if you are into scrapbooking or caring for photographs and other memorabilia you will often find that photo albums are labeled as "acid free" but that the labeling with ignore the fact that this term only refers to paper products and adhesives (paper and adhesives that contain, often natural, acids cause paper/photos to yellow prematurely). If you want to keep your photos and memorabilia safe from degradation, ensure that the plastics used for storing important photos and memorabilia are polypropylene, mylar (not the metalized stuff obviously) and polyester. PVC plastic damages photos and paper memorabilia by leaching plasticizers/oily substances.
