Article: Many plastic products, and especially those used for food or drink or children's toys, contain a number label that can tell you if they contain BPA. Look on the bottom of the product for a number from one to seven (1-7) surrounded by a triangle made of three arrows (commonly known as the "recycling symbol"). Items with numbers 3, 6, and especially 7 are most likely to contain BPA. Items with 1, 2, 4, or 5 generally do not contain BPA. A "BPA free" label on the product or packaging, in combination with one of the "safer" recycling numbers, is your safest bet for avoiding BPA. BPA is used to provide some "give" to rigid plastics in order to reduce cracking and breaking, and rigid plastics are usually made of polycarbonates. If the plastic item has a recycling number "7" and/or has the marking "PC," it is a polycarbonate and more likely to contain BPA. If a plastic product is rigid and transparent for instance, a reusable food storage container the odds are good that it is a polycarbonate that may contain BPA. Softer, flexible, and opaque plastics are usually not polycarbonates and less likely to contain BPA. But always look for labeling. BPA has been in use since the late 1950s, so there's a distinct possibility that your childhood "sippy cup" or your grandma's vintage plastic food storage containers contain BPA. Older products are less likely to have identifying labeling as well. Many people are particularly concerned about BPA exposure in babies. BPA was banned in baby bottles and kids' sippy cups by the FDA in the U.S. in 2012, and earlier in Europe. If you have older plastic baby bottles, assume they have BPA and discard them. Scratches, general wear and tear, and repeated heat exposure cause the release of greater amounts of BPA from plastic products. This is another reason to consider discarding older, well-used products that may contain BPA.

What is a summary?
Examine plastic products for labeling. Identify polycarbonate products. Discard older plastic products.