All that said, what ideas do you have for getting companies to stop coating the insides of lids with poisonous plastic? We haven’t even so far been able to get them to stop coating metal cans with it. Let me know your ideas because I’m with you.

I really didn’t get the gist of the article above – it doesn’t seem to make a very sharp point. I found it because I searched for PLASTISOL. I am very concerned about the use of plastisol, not to mention BPA in canning and bottling lids. What set me off on my concern is the fact that it has a strong smell which gets into food. Through logical reasoning you can conclude that a plastic which releases a strong smell is leaching VOC’s(Volatile Organic Compounds). These are essentially aromatic hydrocarbons. These compounds are released from most petroleum based materials including crude oil itself, which most plastics come from. Plastisol is actually a form of vinyl with plasticizers in it. Plasticizers keep soft plastic pliable and prevent it from becoming brittle and cracking. Hard #6 Polystyrene I believe, has less plasticizer and that probably explains why it is so brittle. Bang it and it will shatter not unlike glass.

Anyways, I first became concerned about plastisol when I started using mason jars for dry food storage; I actually have never done heat canning. But I smell everything; I have a well refined sense of taste and smell. When I stuck my nose inside a brand new Ball mason jar with the plastisol seal and BPA enameled lid, I immediately detected a strong chemical sort of burnt vinyl odor. This had me concerned, and even before I ever contacted Ball to get answers, I knew there was something not good about it. I had actually taken measures to rectify the issue. This was before I learned about Tattler brand re-useable canning lids which while still plastic, are both BPA and Plastisol free. They actually have separable genuine RUBBER seals like the old fashioned Ball lids USED to have. They are probably much better for dry storage but I question their safety for heated home canning. I much rather wish they would develop a stainless steel lid.

What this all boils down to is that plastisol in canned food goods has become nearly unavoidable. If you eat or drink any prepacked foods that come in a glass jars, they will have it. It appears to have become an industry standard due to the more reliable sealing capabilities it has as opposed to traditional rubber. It probably costs less too. When I talked to a Jarden Home Brands representative, I was also told that this was the case after being informed of the name of the compound. I don’t actually have the full chemical name memorized, but I should. Apparently over the years they discovered that there was a higher percentage of failed seals using traditional rubber O-rings. Plastisol is much softer due to the plasticizers and forms a more reliable gummy seal when heated. Like all vinyl it will eventually break down when exposed to high heat and become weathered and brittle. That’s because the VOC plasticizers slowly migrate out into their environment. If you’re using the Ball brand lids, now they say that they are for one time canning use only (I guess because the metal warps or something). So since that’s the case you get a fresh new plastisol & BPA seal every time. Happy-Happy! Joy-joy!

It is obvious that heat seems to speed up the process of vinyl decomposition. After theorizing on this process, I tested my hypothesis in a couple of ways. I received a brand new shower curtain from my mother which had a terrible vinyl smell. I had read an article some time ago which stated that new vinyl shower curtains can off-gas for a number of months(or years?) raising the indoor VOC content of the atmosphere in a bathroom above safe limits even established by the EPA. Instead of throwing away the product before I had learned that there are eco-friendly vinyl-free shower curtains, I decided to test my hypothesis of “cooking” my shower curtain. I took it outdoors and placed it in a 5 gallon bucket. Next I boiled several pots of water and poured some powdered generic dishwasher detergent in with the curtain. Then I filled the bucket up with the boiling water OUTDOORS, and stirred it with a broken mop handle occasionally over the course of an hour or two. I left it sit until the water had cooled then took it out and rinsed it off really good. I may have repeated this whole ordeal twice, but the point is that after all was said and done I observed that the odor of the curtain material was significantly diminished, and decided my effort had been a success. I hung it up in my shower and it never smelled of vinyl again, though it probably still off-gassed some very small amounts.

I believe I saved myself from most of the toxicity. When the curtain grew mold I would take it outside, lay it flat out on the pavement or grass and scrub it clean with a bristle brush and ajax powdered bleach cleanser. I probably cleaned the curtain a handful of times over the next several years instead of throwing it trashing it and starting over. I actually got kind of attached to it because it was a piece of work, plus it had frogs! By the time the curtain finally got brittle and started to crack in a couple places, I had been using it for at least 5 years. Like I said, after the initial cleaning it never smelled of vinyl again.

Wow, is this turning into an article? I wish I could post it with some documentation and links to reference my sources. Oh well, maybe next time, or if I save this to a word document maybe I can later cite some sources and publish this on http://www.scribd.com. What this post all boils down to is this. Plastisol leaches VOC poison into foods. And, yes I tried the same maneuver with my flat Ball brand mason jar lids; boiling actually didn’t work very well on them, but baking them in a toaster oven at 300 degree’s for about 45 minutes did. I know they off-gassed a lot because I could smell the fumes coming out of the appliance when I went to check on them. These two steps: boiling and then extended exposure to high heat did the trick. It weathered the plastisol which caused it to stop smelling so much. At the end the material had lost its glossy sheen and was less flexible but still workable for my purposes.

The rampant use of plastisol and other unknown plastic liners in food and beverage containers is a serious concern for many reasons, the least of which is that they can add a flavor or smell to the food that they contain. The worst may be those things that many would never suspect that have very little taste or smell. What actually got me out on this site tonight and writing this post is this: I have a jar of “all natural raw” almond butter (which by the way isn’t truly raw thanks to the California almond board) which is contaminated with this compound. This nut butter comes in a glass jar unsalted purportedly free of any additives or stabilizers, but they also come with a metal canning which is probably heat-sealed and it has a white plastisol seal, of course as expected. This has been bugging me for some time now, and I aim to do something about it.

As far back as I recall since I switched from peanut to almond butter, I have been noticing that the top initial layer of the nut butter always seems to take on some of the smell and taste of the plastisol seal. I’ve had the same experience with bottled salsa also. But unroasted almonds have a very subtle taste that obviously can really picks up smells and flavors, and I know what they are supposed to taste like because I’ve been eating them for years. I can understand how the transfer of smell-taste may be more pronounced when a jars sits sealed on a shelf at the grocery for weeks or months since it was manufactured, but now I’ve noticed that I can even taste the plastisol VOC’s continuing to get into my nut butter, halfway down through the jar! That’s only after a couple days of being sealed up after eating some. It means that these VOC’s must are becoming aromatic at a fairly quick pace during a couple days time and absorbing right into the food enough to keep tasting it every time. And to me that means that I have been slowly eating a little vinyl solvent every time! How sick is that?! The best solution I have figured out to my almond butter problem is to just make my own, and the same with fresh salsa storing both in glass of course but with tattler brand lids for common dry storage. If I do end up buying any more plastisol sealed food again, another option I figured out is to cut out a small circle of waxed parchment or freezer paper – the same size as the inside of your lid (for dry storage only) and place it on top of the plastisol layer before replacing the cap. I tried it and think it is helping some to protect my almond butter from taking on that sick vinyl taste. Good luck with whatever you do but in all cases it’s probably best to just avoid it by going fresh.

So I plan to call Hain Celestial Seasonings Group, the maker of Maranatha Almond butter and give them my thoughts on this issue, although I don’t expect them to really care or listen to my one voice. Thier thoughts are probably “if it ain’t broken why try and fix it?” People should call companies and complain too if this issue matters to them, and tell their friends and families. Who really wants to be eating contaminated food? Not me. The only way industry will change is if there is public outcry on a large scale. That puts pressure on the decision makers like it has become with the BPA issue. Several years back I remember hearing that they were taking the vinyl out of baby toys so that they wouldn’t chew on it because…IT”S TOXIC people! Those chemicals do all sorts of nasty things to the human body. I’m really starting to get ticked off about this whole scheme of being poisoned and bombarded with pollution from every direction. It’s horrible and it has to be stopped! The only way anything is ever going to change though is when “We the People” speak out and say NO MORE – enough is enough and DEMAND change. We can wait for mainstream scientists to try and figure things out while we sit here as live guinea pigs. And don’t forget you can vote and speak with your wallet. Taking the time to make simple homemade organic food instead is a big part of it. It’s time to move away from all the prepared, processed, prepackaged junk that is served up for the blind consumption of the masses. Thank you.

Let us know if you find one!

Beth

I’m wondering if you can help me find a lidded coffee cup without plastic. The BPA scare has forced us to swear off plastics, but even the stainless steel or ceramic coffee cups have plastic lids… which then come in contact with the hot liquid as you drink. Any suggestions?? thanks,
Amelia

On the flip side of that, there are people like you who offer their knowledge and expertise for all of us. Thank you so very much for this blog, I’ve learned so much, and I think we are all going to be healthier because of you =-)
I wish you the best in health and love

Bethy =-)

Using a glass jar with lid that contains a tiny bit of BPA is way better than using a can lined with it or plastic bottle containing it because it’s only in the top and probably won’t touch your water.

I’m Bethy! haha.
So, I have a question.
I’ve been using a glass Ragu jar to store my water in (when I am at work and on the go).
I love tea, so I decided to put some boiling water in the glass Ragu jar and make tea. Now I’m paraoid though because I’m worried that somehow the glass jar will release toxins or something like that (like my Nalgene bottle did when I faithfully carried it around for two years thinking it was safe).
So, if Beth or anyone knows if it’s safe or unsafe to put boiling water in a Ragu bottle, I’d be much obliged for the info.
Thanks!