photo by jmv

Over our family Christmas in January in Dallas (huh?) my dad kept telling my brothers to not microwave their food in the plastic containers they were using. In return my brothers laughed. Well, it turns out the joke is on you my dear brothers.

Parts of an Environmental Working Group (EWG) article.

It’s not true that “dioxins” go from your plastic into your food. There is some evidence, however, that some molecules — phthalates in some flexible plastic, and another chemical plasticizer DEHA — can migrate into high-fat foods such as meats or cheeses. And that’s not just if you’re microwaving plastic. Many environmentally conscious Web sites, such as www.greenguide.org, tell consumers to avoid wrapping high-fat foods in plastic altogether for fear that you’ll end up eating minuscule plastic bits.

Of course, manufacturers of plastic wrap don’t like all this worry. A Consumer Reports test in 1998 found worrisome plasticizers in both Saran Wrap and Reynolds Wrap, but none in Glad Crystal Clear Wrap. Since then, S.C. Johnson has reformulated Saran Wrap, and makes it clear on its Web site that their products are made of polyethylene and do not contain either the plasticizers phthalates or DEHA. Reynolds Plastic Wrap is still made of PVC, which contains DEHA.

Whatever conclusions you draw, here are some guidelines: – Everyone from plastic manufacturers to the USDA says that if you are going to microwave with plastic wrap it should be plastic wrap that explicitly says it’s microwave safe. – Never microwave in plastic containers that have not been specifically marked microwave-safe, especially containers made to hold other foods. And it’s prudent to avoid microwaving in plastic take-out containers. Heat encourages leaching of some plastic molecules from the container into the food. – When it’s in the microwave, do not let the plastic wrap touch your food, because it can melt into fats or sugar. Keep the plastic one inch from food. – More information is at www.plasticsinfo.org.

We gave our microwave away before our big move to Seattle, so we don’t need to worry about that. However, we do still use plastic tuperware to store our food. We have been wanting to buy some glass storage containers for a while and will make the purchase when funds allow. Maybe we can try to look for some used one….ooooh good idea.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Environment, General, Green/Sustainable, One/Change tips, Products, educational, resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.