Beware the Quality of Reusable Grocery Bags
For the sake of reducing the production, consumption, and disposal of plastic bags, reusable grocery bags is a fantastic eco-savvy concept.
Not all reusable bags, however, are created equal, and therein lies the danger.
Whether the reusable bag in your home is made of paper or recycled plastic bottles, read this article to find out how ink printed on the bags contain lead that may leach into the food carried in the bags.
Here's yet another report on the same problem regarding toxic lead found in the ink on reusable bags.
This matter brings up the point that being a health and eco-conscious consumer takes a lot more than recycling and using reusable bags.
If we want to be safe and healthy, the questions we ask about our food (how is it grown?), clothing (where does it come from? who makes it?), living space (what materials are used?), or even cars (what's the fuel efficiency?) must also be asked about the very reusable bags that come into contact with our food, body care products, and our loved ones.
Undoubtedly, it is tiresome to sustain a high level of vigilance for something as simple as reusable bags, but a higher level of awareness saves us the regret of "I wish I had known."
For the moment, any kind of reusable bag made of material without sporting any printed logo or design would be the safest choice. I've not had to buy any reusable bags, either those made of recycled paper, recycled plastic bottles, or cotton canvass because I've been cutting up old curtains and turning them into grocery bags.
I find that old cotton shirts, denim, pillow cases, can all quickly be transformed into reusable grocery bags.
For those who don't sew or prefer to buy a reusable bag without lead ink, here's a site that offers reusable bags made of different materials from jute and organic cotton to nylon. This line of reusable bags carries explicit certification and testing to show that the ink on the bags are totally free of lead and other heavy metals.
There are other sites and vendors who sell reusable bags uncontaminated by lead ink and other toxic pollutants. The important point is to make the best choices to live the best life whenever possible.
Follow Technorati