How bad is putting a plastic container in the microwave? When you bring your lunch to work in something like a plastic Tupperware and you don’t feel like transferring it to glass or paper before you heat it up, are you endangering yourself?
According to the FDA, you should only put plastic containers that “have been labeled for microwave oven use” in the microwave. A container fits this category if it is labeled “microwave safe,” if the package contains an image of a microwave, or if the instructions direct you to use the microwave.
If you don’t see any indication that the plastic container is safe for the microwave, you may want to reconsider nuking it. The FDA says that some plastics run the risk of melting in the microwave.
The most commonly perceived threatening chemical [The National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences says that BPA can leach into food from food storage containers.
As Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publication explains, BPA is “plasticizer” used to make plastic hard. It’s also found in some metal food cans. Before a product hits the market, the FDA reviews it to make sure it meets standards for what it deems to be safe levels of BPA. According to Food Safety News, the FDA has concluded that “current exposure levels of five micrograms per day,” qualify as safe. [FOOD SAFETY NEWS ISN’T A NEWS SOURCE WE’D TYPICALLY USE — COULD WE FIND THIS ON THE FDA’S OWN SITE?]
BPA has been used since the 1960s, and since that time, the FDA has been continually reviewing studies on the chemical, “including those addressing possible low-dose effects.” In the fall of 2014, the FDA concluded, after reviewing 300 scientific studies, that it didn’t need to revise its current safety standard for BPA in food containers. This year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) declared BPA exposure causes no harm at current levels.
Scientists and food safety organizations are still expressing concern over the chemical, however. Denmark’s National Food Institute, for example, recommends the tolerable daily intake (TDI) be lowered from its current standards. [I’D ALSO MENTION CANADA’S REGULATIONS, WHICH ARE STRICTER (IF MEMORY SERVES!) AND MENTION THEIR JUSTIFICATION FOR THESE GUIDELINES — WHY DO THEY PERCEIVE BPA TO BE DANGEROUS? COULD BE GOOD TO QUOTE SOMEONE INVOLVED IN THE POLICY IN DENMARK/CANADA.]
LET’S BE A BIT MORE ACTIVE HERE: WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SHOW AND WHAT DOESN’T IT SHOW? WHAT DOES “CONNECTED” MEAN IN THIS CONTEXT? Potentially negative effects of BPA have focused on pregnant women and children. Exposure to BPA has been said to possibly cause reproductive disorders, and exposure during pregnancy may lead to lung problems in children. The chemical has also been connected to prostate cancer, breast cancer and asthma, to name a few.
While the debate over safe levels of exposure to BPA continues, CITING TK, many companies have removed BPA from their products entirely.
Good Housekeeping conducted a study on heating food in plastic containers. They assembled a collection of plastic food storage items — including frozen dinner packaging, microwave-safe containers, wraps and bags — and sent them off to an independent lab. The lab tested for BPA in the products and showed that 27 of them did not contain BPA. Only the following three consisted of low levels of BPA: Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids, Rubbermaid Premier containers and Glad Storage Zipper Bags. (The study also tested for phthalates, another potentially hazardous chemical found in soft plastic, like plastic wrap, and concluded that one product, Glad Press’n Seal wrap, “had low levels of both phthalates and BPA.”)
Next the study evaluated if BPA seeped into food stimulants — which are used to stand in for real food. No BPA was found in any of the food stimulants. Finally, Good Housekeeping experimented with real food and tested whether or not the three products that contained low levels of BPA would leach the chemical into the food. The results showed that no BPA transferred into the food after the containers had been heated in the microwave.
While this may be good news from Good Housekeeping, the publication didn’t test every plastic container on the market. Also, while the FDA states the levels of BPA in the products it reviews are safe, these levels are still being challenged. It’s also important to note that “microwave-safe” doesn’t necessarily mean BPA-free, and BPA-free doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safe to put the plastic in the microwave. Check out Good Housekeeping’s list of products that its study concluded are safe for heating in the microwave, and remember, the status-quo is still up for debate. Ultimately, glass, paper or ceramic are always a safe option.
ARE THERE OTHER CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS/PLASTICIZERS THAT ARE ALSO DANGEROUS IN MICROWAVE SETTING? I KNOW SOME BPA-FREE PRODUCTS HAVE CAUSED CONCERN IN THE PAST…
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