Letters: Insidious effect of plastic

With reference to Nitin Sethi's report, "About-turn: How govt went back on plastic ban" (June 7), it is known that Bisphenol, a component in many food-grade plastic products, is an endocrine disruptor. It is surprising the government is rethinking its views on plastic and considers the scientific data unreliable.

About five years ago, scientists and the US Food and Drug Administration warned about Bisphenol A, commonly called BPA, a chemical used in plastic. Chemicals such as BPA leach into water and food and have pernicious effects on human health - from malformed genitals to premature puberty, obesity, diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some countries and major retail chains in the US have banned or taken off baby feeding bottles that are not BPA-free. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) said more research was urgently needed on the effect BPA has on rising rates of a range of diseases. The report stressed the WHO's concern about children's exposure to phthalates and other chemicals that seem to interfere with human hormones.

Taste, shelf life, ease of cleaning and no chemical leaching are among the reasons consumers prefer glass bottles. That's why wine and spirits are stored in glass containers because it preserves freshness and the purity of taste. It is not what you drink; it is what you drink it in.

It's time we went back to traditional glass or metal containers, which are environment-friendly. Plastic is leading to environmental and health concerns, as it is mostly not biodegradable. Our government has been slow to react to the insidious effects of plastic on human beings.

H N Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

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