PET peeves: stirring up health concerns in a bottle

It’s been precisely two years since a draft directive from the Health Ministry sought to replace plastic medicine containers with glass, especially in the case of drugs for children and old people.

But that is proving to be easier said than done for the Centre, as pro-plastic and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) advocates make compelling scientific arguments on why they are the right choice for packaging.

The present discussion involves only medicines. But there’s no mistaking the fact that its repercussions will be felt right across the food and beverage industry. Think water, colas, jams, sauces, nutritional drinks...the list is long.

Contentious as it is, the discussion now awaits a directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), where it is being heard.

The back story to this discussion is the 65th Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) report that found merit in shifting medicines into glass containers, at least for those who are vulnerable to the possibility of adverse health impacts. The worry involved the possible leaching of elements from plastic and PET containers into the medicine at high temperatures and over prolonged use.

This caution had been raised by Dehradun-based non-profit Him Jagriti, which claimed that the elements leaching from plastics could cause endocrine disruption that in turn could lead to birth defects, immunity problems and cancers.

At one point, a section of doctors in Mumbai too joined in to add more power to the call to replace plastic containers with glass for medicine.

But equally vociferous are PET supporters, who claim it is safe, recyclable (though not as medicine containers) and cost-effective. A cursory search on the internet throws up testimonies from researchers who say PET used as medicine containers do not leach under Indian temperatures.

Some point to the breakability of glass, which makes it more cumbersome and expensive. One pro-PET supporter adds that it takes more energy inputs to make glass and that it is not entirely in the clear when it comes to leaching.

The issue gets further complicated with allegations that glass manufacturers will not be able to handle the excess demand if the pharma and food industry turn to glass. But this, the glass makers deny.

With this being the minefield laid out before the Centre, another expert committee, under the chairmanship of MK Bhan (former Biotechnology Secretary), was expected to put a lid on the discussion one way or the other. But the Committee ended up stirring the pot.

There is no “conclusive” evidence that PET and the additive (antimony) used with it pose a human threat, the report said, recommending, however, that stringent norms be framed to regulate the use of additives in plastics, its disposal as waste, etc.

While this had PET makers optimistic, the DTAB followed up in its 71st report, recommending that the Health Ministry draw on all these reports to prohibit the use of plastics and PET in packing medicines for infants, old people and nursing mothers.

The only point of ceasefire on the discussion seems to be around the need for stringent norms on plastic used for medicines. A senior Health Ministry official explained that internationally, if plastic is used, it is of very high quality.

“The issue boils down to how a medicine reacts with the container,” says Dr CM Gulati, Editor of drug journal MIMS .

Internationally, the mechanism to monitor and supervise the quality of plastic containers is stringent. The quality of plastic differs in India, and even if there are stringent regulations, he says, the trouble is not with the science, but with the implementation of the regulations.

With no end in sight just yet, the next milestone on this discussion is expected later this month, when the case comes up again before the NGT.

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