In addition, the chemicals are used in some fragrances and vanity chemicals.

And never microwave food or drink in flexible plastic because the heat can cause a degree of leaching of the chemicals into the food or drink, he insists. And the effect can be cumulative.

“I’m trying to come up with a movement to get plastic out of day-to-day activities,” he said. He admits it’s unlikely that plastics with the family of chemicals including BPA will be banned or abandoned anytime soon.

But he can tell people to learn how to use containers more safely and avoid contamination of their food and drink, he said. His talks range from the St. Louis region to as far away as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Mumbai in India.

“I don’t say I’m an expert,” he said. “I just tell them my story.”

Meanwhile, he has taken his type 1 diabetes in stride, literally. He’s a distance runner. He was a runner before, but he has since taken it to another level at the urging of one of his daughters who told him to try marathons.