Lethal Color: Do toxic inks make plastic bottles dangerous?

lethal-color-do-toxic-inks-make-plastic-bottles-dangerousI'm a pretty chill person; at least I try to be. I find that having a relaxed and adaptable attitude makes life a whole lot easier. Yet, no matter how hard I try every now and again something gets under my skin. Today its a little organization called Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse. I might not turn into The Hulk when I get angry (green really isn't my color¦) but I put on a good show none the less. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the fireworks as I go to work for the good of plastic bottles everywhere. Meet the boogeyman of plastic bottles We all love watchdog groups don't we? The way they stick their nosey little¦ well, noses into other people's business. Sure, they aren't all bad but this time it's gone too far. The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) was birthed from a piece of legislation released in 1992 (only adopted by 19 states), aimed to decrease the amount of four specific metals (cadmium, lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium) used in packaging. With a special interest in inks used to decorate plastic bottles and bags. With the help of x-ray fluorescent (XRF) screening technology, the TPCH has been randomly testing plastic bottles and other products (on their own accord) for years. Some tests allegedly revealed the presence of cadmium and lead in the ink on several products packaged in plastic bottles. Their next action was to pounce on the companies responsible for distributing plastic bottles shellacked with supposed environmentally-deadly colorants. Certificates of Compliance are good to have, but the TPCH continued to assume that any other tests performed on the plastic bottles had been insufficient or faulty in some way when compared to their XRF scan. Why the TPCH doesn't trust standard laboratory procedures Reason #1: Inappropriate sample prep – The TPCH assumes that those working in laboratories handled the approved sample wrong, resulting in a false positive. The fault was most likely not allowing the specimen to disintegrate entirely before testing. How embarrassing for all the Harvard and Princeton graduates who are working in labs today! It’s comforting that others know the ins and outs of your job better than you do. Reason #2: We're all too gullible! “ Thank goodness we have the TPCH around to remind us to not get blindsided by shady suppliers. The TPCH accuses overseas suppliers of telling U.S. companies that their plastic bottles meet compliance requirements when they really don't. It's kind of like the TPCH is the all-powerful Batman in this scenario and the rest of us are the hopeless (and brainless) Gotham residents. Reason #3: Did we test the right plastic bottles?! “ Here's where things start to get a bit ridiculous. The TPCH sometimes considers the idea that the companies that were able to present compliance documentation for their plastic bottles may actually sell safe plastic bottles, but they just happened to get a bad one in their batch. Yeah, that sounds like a solid case to me, not. Reason #3 ½: It's not very likely, but maybe XRF results are incorrect “ TPCH's mention of potential fault is so minor that it only garners half a reason for troubling otherwise thriving businesses selling plastic bottles. A fuming response from Kayla This infuriates me. What qualifications or influence does the TPCH possess that gives them the wherewithal to tell laboratories full of well trained professionals (we weren't pulling lab assistants off the street the last time I checked) they are doing their job wrong? Not to mention rubbing the faces of business professionals in the fact that they may or may not be getting duped? It's a free country and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. At the same time, if the TPCH wishes to come out of nowhere and critique everyone's work then I suggest they stop yapping and get to work themselves. That's right, run your own laboratory and try to take the jobs of those who aren't living up to their calling. It's like a kid coloring his or her RoseArt fuzzy poster while telling Jackson Pollock he's not splattering right, it's nonsensical, period. That's enough for today, but look for coming articles on the safety of inks used on plastic bottles; I'm not quite done with this topic yet! Are you riled up? Or do you understand the TPCH’s arguments? Share your thoughts and post a comment!