How to Reduce Your Exposure to Plastic in Food (and Everywhere Else)

Limiting exposure to phthalates isn’t as simple as avoiding particular types of packaging, because these chemicals can enter your food long before it is packaged. The best solution, says Maricel Maffini, PhD, a chemical safety expert and the author of a recent study of phthalate risks, would be for manufacturers and regulators to ensure that our food was safe, so we wouldn’t “have to make these decisions when we go to the grocery store.” But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless now.

Reducing your overall exposure to the chemicals in plastic—including bisphenols and phthalates—may help you avoid some of the risks. These six steps can help.

Avoid plastic food storage containers. If you do use them, don’t heat them in the microwave, and avoid using them to store hot food, because heat can increase leaching. You can see CR’s top picks for glass and steel food storage containers. And keep your food below the top of the container to avoid contact with the lids, which are often plastic.

Steer clear of fast foods. Plasticizers are one more reason to limit consumption of fast food. Our testing found some of the highest levels of phthalates and phthalate substitutes in fast food. Although we can’t say exactly why, one possible explanation is that fast foods are often prepared by people wearing vinyl gloves, which are known to be extremely high in these chemicals.

Food is not the only way you’re exposed to bisphenols and phthalates, so if you want to reduce your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, you have to think broadly. Phthalates, for example, which are a viscous liquid in their raw form, are also a common ingredient in perfumes, cleansers, shampoos, and other cosmetics, and are sometimes used in flooring and furniture. Bisphenols and phthalates are also often found in household dust. Here are a few smart steps you can take.

Go fragrance-free. Soap, cosmetics, and cleaners with fragrances often use phthalates, especially DEP, as a solvent.

Open your windows. Because phthalates can be used in furniture, shower curtains, and flooring, they can accumulate in household dust, which you can then inhale. “Ventilation is important,” says Akhgar Ghassabian, MD, PhD, at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “And if you’re vacuuming, make sure you do that with the window open.”

Refuse paper receipts. Go for the digital ones instead; thermal paper receipts (the ones that are a little glossy) are often coated in bisphenols.

Limit your use of vinyl. Plasticizers are generally a key ingredient in vinyl products. When possible, choose alternate materials for shower curtains, flooring, car interiors, and clothing, says Amy Ziff, the founder of Made Safe, an organization that has partnered with CR to identify potentially harmful ingredients in products. She says vinyl is sometimes called “vegan leather.”