Plastic Dishware – Keep Collecting or Stop Buying?

Adaptability is one of the best features of plastic dinnerware or dishware. Unlike glass dishes, it is not easily breakable, which makes it friendlier to use by all ages. This household item also comes in different styles in a variety of colors, shapes and thickness. Because it’s colorful, you can use them for birthday parties, picnics, and other special occasions. Other than that, this kind of dishware is inexpensive than China dinner sets.

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The big question is that if plastic dishware is safe enough to use. Some dishware sets that are made of plastic material are not safe. They can contain hazardous chemicals that are absolutely not safe to the health.

Types of Plastic Tableware

First of all, there are few kinds of dishware that are made of plastic material. There are microwave-safe plastic tableware, dishwasher-safe plastic tableware, and restaurant quality plastic tableware. Some look even more like glass, and others come like China dishware. Although different, these types can be safe, or not, depending on the materials used and if approved by an organization that detects and supervises health standards.

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BPA Free Plastic Dishware

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One chemical that is possibly present in a lot of plastic dishware is BPA, which stands for Bisphenol A. This is usually more found in plastic polycarbonate type of dishes from plates to cups, spoons to forks, bowls to trays and even plastic knifes.

Polycarbonate is generally approved by FDA or USFDA, also known as Food and Drug Administration. However, this is only the type of plastic material to use dishware that may contain BPA. It is designed to be tinted, transparent or clear and similar to a glass dishware. Other types are not polycarbonate, which is simply free of BPA. That is the kind of plastic dinnerware that you must use to assure safety to your health.

How else can you know if your plastic dining sets are BPA free or made of polycarbonate material? One way to find out or confirm the plastic dishware is free of BPA is to ask the seller or store a list of their products that are made of other materials. You stay away from those ones that are manufactured of polycarbonate.

If you order plastic dining sets online, sometimes the description is written and you can read the kind of plastic material used. This enables you to find out if it is safe to use. That’s when you can decide to buy if you are assured it is totally free of BPA.

Melanin Free Plastic Dining Sets

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Another chemical that can be found on plastic dishware, which includes plates, cups, and other kitchen utensils, is melamine. This kind of chemical is not approved by FDA. It is not suggested to have direct contact with food, so if plastic dishes are made of materials that include melamine, you must get rid of that.

The risk of melamine is not as shallow as giving you mild stomach problems or temporary constipation. There is actually more to that and no one would like to experience those. The results or effects of consuming melamine mainly include kidney problems, like having kidney stones, and kidney failure. The worse that can happen is poison that may lead to sudden death. It is important then to avoid using plastic dining products that contain melamine.

What you need to find when buying plastic dishware is those that are BPA free materials. These include acrylic and opaque. They are absolutely safe to be used for items that are utilized for direct contact with food.

The bottom line is that there is no wrong using plastic dishware. It is cheap than any China dining ware, but before you use any of the plastic dishes, be sure they are safe to use.

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