Question
Hi, can you tell me if it is safe to grow vegetables to eat in plastic containers.
I am led to believe that petrochemical products leech small amounts of chemicals and estrogen.
Do the plants absorb these as they grow?  

Answer
good question...  plants do absorb petrochemicals---but how much and what's it all mean. i'm sure the jury is still out on that one. here's what i know...
petrochemicals(which we use to make plastics) are absorbed by water, humans, and plants. how serious this problem is has been looked at for a long time. no one has labeled plastic pots as unsafe for growing plants. i'm not a chemist(i did take 2 courses in organic chemistry and a few other chem courses while in college). i do know plastic pipes(PVC) used for drinking water pipes have been proven to leach some of their chemical make-up into drinking water...and thus into our bodies.
solution -back to copper pipes- dont alarm all those people who still have PVC water intake lines...
vegetable contamination from plastic pot fear...
solution -grow your plants in clay pots or peat pots to avoid plastic comtamination problems.
hope this helps
rick