Some of the following is sourced from the anthology You're Still Being Lied To edited by Russ Kick. The Article therein "Chemicals Are Killing You" written by Terri Mitchell:

Do you have a plastic bottled drink in your hand? Do you possibly have a bottle of dish soap near by? Maybe some Deodorant? Aftershave? Pesticides? Wallpaper? . . . Clothing? Do you see the little recycling symbol on it? Look closer. Usually there tends to be in very small print something written under neath it. Possibly PETE or PET (DEHP if you're really unlucky). What is this? Well PETE stands for polyethylene terephthalate, which is a phthalate.

Mitchell:


Phthalates are petroleum based chemicals. Billions of pounds are produced every year to combine with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) to make it soft and flexible. Throwaway drink bottles and milk jugs with PET or PETE stamped on the bottom contain phthalate.



Mitchell:



The Most Notorious phthalate is DEHP(di(2-sthylhexyl) phthalate). DEHP can be used as a pesticide or insect repellent. The FDA approved it for food wrap in 1968. Some plastic food wraps are 40 percent DEHP.



Pay Attention because this is where things get serious.



. . . DEHP can migrate out of plastic and into whatever is around. Like Plastic soft-drink bottles and food wrapped in plastic.



Well, what exactly do Phthalates do? You might just be wondering. Here's some answers:

Mitchell:



Here's some late-breaking news the plastic industry doesn't want you to hear. Phthalates cause testicles to shrivel. They block sex hormones. Men with fat stomaches have abnormally low testosterone levels. Phthalates interfere with normal sugar metabolisim.





Plastic and Pesticides affect brain and behavior. Bisphenol A, a chemical in plastic water bottles, causes mother mice to spend less time mothering their babies. A new line of research suggests that hyper-aggression and the inability to learn in males is caused by chemical destruction of normal estrogen activity. Estrogen puts a lid on male aggression, counteracts anxiety, and is critical for learning.



This is but a small tid-bit (and apparently one of the least lethal ones) of something way more grandiose.

P.S Here's a list of things that might have PET, PETE, or DEHP in them:

Shampoos
Deodorants
Paints
pesticides
Pacifiers
Garden Hoses
Hair Mousses
After Shaves
Auto Interiors
Packaging for food
shower curtains
Per food packaging
suntan lotions
body lotions
perfumes
cosmetics
printing ink
floorings
wall papers
carpet tiles
insect repellents
gloves
clothing
etc. . .

Edited to add more content.

[edit on 24-5-2009 by Shamrock87]

[edit on 24-5-2009 by Shamrock87]