If you’re using a plastic container to heat your dinner, be aware plastic contains chemical additives, which can leach out...
Recently, a magazine crossed my path that has inspired me and I would like to recommend it to you. It’s Organic Style: Fresh Thinking. Fresh Living. This column is adapted from their June 2005 issue.
If you’re using a plastic container to heat your dinner, be aware plastic contains chemical additives, which can leach out and may increase the risk of birth defects and hormone-related illnesses. University studies show heat releases these harmful additives into the food being heated. So, eliminate the use of all plastic in the microwave and dishwasher. Washing plastic by hand, in warm water, reduces the likelihood of chemical leaching. Scratches can also increase chemical migration, so avoid abrasive sponges or harsh cleansers. Recycle plastic containers with scratches.
For Microwaving Use microwave-safe glass or ceramic cookware. Cover foods with paper, not plastic. Do not use recycled paper towels – they may contain metallic flecks from ink or group-up staples that can combust. Do not use any plastic, including plastic wrap, Tupperware, and Styrofoam.
For Refrigerator Storage Use glass, ceramic, stainless steel, or PVC-free plastic wrap. Do not use plastic containers for anything that will leave behind a residue that will require scouring, which can create scratches. Do not store or cover hot food in or with plastic—let it cool first.
For Packing Your Child’s Lunch Use waxed or butcher paper to wrap sandwiches and snacks. If you prefer the convenience of bags, look for ones made from #4 plastic. Reynolds Cut-Rite has waxed-paper sandwich bags and Glad sandwich bags as well as Ziploc bags are made from #4 plastic.
For Water Use glass or stainless steel or pitchers made from #2 or #5 plastic. Do not use pitchers made from #7 plastic.
For Freezing Use freezer paper or #4 plastic freezer bags: e.g.: Ziploc Freezer Guard Bags. Do not use any glass or plastic not labeled freezer safe— extreme cold can cause both to crack. Do not put hot food in plastic bags or containers—let it cool first.
For Pantry Storage Use glass, aluminum, stainless steel, or #5 plastic. Do not store food in any plastic container made from #3, 6, or 7 plastic.
All containers will have a #1-#7 embedded in the recycling symbol so that you can determine their use.
The Future of Plastic Most plastics today are made from crude oil. A new generation of plastics is being made from starches such as rice, corn, and soy. They are biodegradable and recyclable. Called BIO-BASED PLASTICS, these plastics account for 3 percent of the $280 billion plastics market and expected to grow to 20 percent by 2010. You may already be using some of them—Wild Oats, Newman’s Own Organics, and Del Monte are using corn-based plastics in their food packaging.
To back up this article with some scientific studies, Claire Nelson, for a junior high science project, posed the question: “Can cancer-causing particles seep into food covered with household plastic wrap while it is being micro waved?”
Using equipment at the National Center for Toxicological Research, she performed experiments microwaving four different plastic wraps in olive oil and “found not just the carcinogens, but also xenoestrogen was migrating into the oil. Xenoestrogens are linked to low sperm counts in men and breast cancer in women. An article in Options reported that “her analysis found that DEHA was migrating into the oil at between 200 parts and 500 parts per million. The FDA standard is 0.05 parts per billion.”* Her summarized results have been published in science journals.
In addition, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Manager of the Wellness Program at Castle Hospital in Arkansas, on the subject of dioxins, said that food should not be heated in a microwave using plastic containers as the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxins into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.* Dioxins are carcinogens and highly toxic. *http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-microwave-dioxin.htm
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