I've long ago stopped cooking or putting hot food in plastic containers.. not because of this but because of the possibility other harmful substances leeching from the plastic in to my food.
Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free", but that doesn't guarantee some other plastic that's used doesn't contain harmful substances or cause as yet unknown side effects that just haven't been found by researchers yet. This goes double for new plastics which haven't had much research done on them yet but that manufacturers can honestly claim don't contain BPA.
Those kinds of assurances just aren't good enough, as this study shows.
More than 50 different chemicals are now pumped into consumer products in place of BPA. These BPA-free alternatives can be as bad as — or worse than — the original.
In addition to not storing warm things in plastic, I also avoid storing liquids (e.g. food in sauce, stews etc) because I think its easier for plastic to contaminate the food. I am no expert so I may be over-reacting or completely wrong that dry food does any better in plastic.
regardless of food context/state of matter, any chemical reaction occurring between food stuffs and it's voluminous container is leaching the plastic as the volume tries to reach chemical equilibrium. The air between the "dry" food and the container is just a bridge to the food-plastic at that point.
Of course you won't see that happen in real time in a way that's like "Ah, now it's unsafe." But rest assured knowing it's ALL unsafe, depending on how you feel about life.
I don’t think you’re overreacting if you think any invention newer than 100 years has a high probability of being detrimental to our nature in some way.
I stopped using Aeropress years ago because of this. Hot liquids and plastic do not go well together. Switched to pourover and using a ceramic pourover cone, less effort and takes about the same time.
Depends on how you brew and what features you like in the brewer.
If you're using it at home, can sacrifice a little more space, and are doing more of an immersion brew then maybe go for a Hario Switch or french press. The Switch looks a lot like a cone brewer but has a ball valve at the bottom. There is still a wee bit of plastic involved but less than aeropress. You can grind for and/or use filters designed for faster draw down, personally I use a cloth filter which is a bit of faff as you need to rinse it out and store it in the fridge in a cup of water. Paper filters on the switch, in my experience, lead to over extraction unless you grind coarse etc etc.
If again you're at home and are really more into the high extraction pseudo-espresso kinda cups and you have more counter space, mental space, and wallet space to give to coffee then maybe go for a Flair lever espresso.
If you're not at home I don't think you're finding something without plastic.
Only the first 2 versions of aeropress had BPA in them (the clear/light blue). Lab testing showed they didn't leech? The smoke colored ones don't have BPA, and the newer more expensive clear ones are made of something else without the issue (not sure all of them are glass). Some people used polyester filters with the aeropress that probably leech tons of microplastics.
I use a glass chemex with paper filters pretty frequently for larger quantity, and a Cona vacuum pot which is 100% glass for special occasions. Oh and a crofton (from aldi) carafe with a stainless insert for making cold brew.
I quit aeropress for precisely this a couple years ago. Having tried many different methods, I've settled on using a stainless filter and brew into a measuring cup and let it settle out for a minute or 2. It's easy, and not worried about putting so much pressure on the rim of a mug with boiling liquid. Also have moved to smaller insulated glass cups rather than larger mugs, which would never work with aeropress, helps cut down on caffeine intake.
I use the Aeropress all the time and I've had this thought before as well.
You can perhaps mitigate the risk by making sure to brew at the "right" temperature (like 185F, not boiling). It is also possible to do cold brew in the Aeropress (even a much faster version of cold brew, where you use room temperature water and stir vigorously for a few minutes).
Agree I replaced all coffee makers, vaporizers, etc that have plastic anywhere near heat. I also make sure that tea bags are paper only not those mesh plastic ones which ironically cost more. I even took the plastic utensil rack out of my dishwasher after reading that most dishwashers are heavily contaminated with microplastics that just get coated on your dishes.
It is pretty frustrating trying to go plastic-less even with just food products. The glass storage containers for instance all seem to have plastic lids and seals...
As aeropress user for many years, I don't think there's noticeable amount of microplastics coming from it, paper filter would also help with filtering out ANY debris. But, now microplastics are even in air you breathe, coming from anyone using artifical fibers near you.
> Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free"
BPA has been identified as a hormone disruptor. My question is, how many other plastics have been investigated to rule out hormone disruptors? Safe means more than zero evidence of harm.
Why we don't use glassware? It's perfect for food.
1. Easy for cleaning
2. Good glass container will look new for years with proper washing
3. It breaks. So it requires full attention of person handling it. We all want to live in present moment, don't we? Use glassware and you will be in the present moment more often ;)
Dishes marketed under the Pyrex name are no longer borosilicates. The brand name was sold off (and in fact the company that bought it was recently discussed in HN as they also bought Instant Pot, and have gone bankrupt).
The problem with modern Pyrex and similar glassware is that it usually comes with a plastic lid.
I'm with you in that I only use glassware to store food. But it's a bit annoying to have to put a little plate on top of the Pyrex as a makeshift lid in the microwave.
My wife has an extensive collection of vintage Pyrex with lids, but she doesn't trust they're microwave safe.
At least we don’t know our neighbors anymore. We wouldn’t want to get invited to a potluck, bring our scalloped potatoes in a Pyrex dish, leave the leftovers with the host, and never got our dish back.
On the other hand I find that they tend to close tight and be robust. So they are great for throwing in backpacks. Without care most plastic containers will flex and pop open. The weight isn't much issue for one or two containers in a backpack. Health concerns aside a sturdy plastic container would likely be the best option here, lighter and more durable (think Nalgene bottle quality) but those are very hard to find.
Unfortunately, borosilicate glassware is more difficult to find, so even if I would like to use it exclusively, besides some borosilicate items like teapots, double-wall glasses for hot or cold drinks, glass vessels with glass lids for microwave cooking, I still use other heavier items made of tempered glass, e.g. bowls, other sizes of vessels for microwave cooking and rectangular vessels with glass lids for storing food in the refrigerator.
You are right that I normally do not carry food away from home in tempered glass vessels and this is the only purpose for which I use polypropylene boxes, but when I have a borosilicate vessel of suitable size I do not hesitate to use it. Even if it is not so light as PP, the weight is manageable.
For Christmas I got a set of Anyday microwaveable dishes. They've been awesome! They're made out of glass with a stainless steel and silicone seal on the lid for steaming.
1. Cleaning doesn't really change much if it's plastic or glass.
2. With proper care, I agree, they'll look new/good for many years. Plastics can too, but to a lesser degree.
3. It breaks.
4. Glassware usually costs more.
5. Knowing that I can't break the tub of food that I have in my bag just because I accidentally dropped my bag, releases me of a lot of stress and worry.
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that plastics are toxic, but when I go to the store I always look at the prices and pick the cheapest option available, I wish I had the option of just being able to take what looks nice and pay without even knowing how much I pay, but sadly I can't, _yet_, afford that.
If you just go for the cheapest anyways, why are you buying containers at all? I'm in a position that I can afford whatever containers I like, and I use glass for anything that'll be reheated but use plastic for freezing. We re-use butter/yogurt/sour cream containers, and after 2-3 uses toss them in the recycling.
Most folks that cook a lot don't use non-stick pans much anyway because they just don't last very long. I keep a couple around for eggs and pancakes, but that's it.
The usual recommendation for skillets is carbon-steel and cast iron because the seasoning does provide some non-stick properties. I have the full gamut with carbon steel, cast iron, non-stick and stainless steel, and find myself mostly leaning on the carbon steel. (I don't have any other materials since I cook on induction.)
But here's a catch: that seasoning? Basically a plastic. It's polymerized cooking oil. You can decide if you care. But you'll also polymerize oil when cooking on stainless. Basically: if you want to go ultra-paranoid, don't fry things.
Unlike steel, cast iron generates dust when abraded. Dust that is really bad for you. Known to cause lung issues, etc.
I machine it all the time (both ductile and non). It is usually is machined dry with vacuum because it will clog coolant systems. It basically turns into a horrible mud when mixed with coolant or water
I happen to filter the coolant system so i can machine it wet, but that's not all - i also run a dust extractor to avoid these issues.
Cast iron is popular, but i've seen no science that suggests it should be used. There is no evidence i've seen that it's particularly better at anything, none of the "seasoning" thing is a real rust protectant for
either cast iron or steel (and steel will usually rust slower), though it is non stick in the same sense that things are harder to stick to burned things :)
Steel won't generate the same kind of horrible dust when you abrade through the seasoning.
I don't season anything though - if i want to protect something from rust i dry it. If seasoning was a super good rust protectant we'd use it as one in other cases.
If i want something to be non-stick i spray a light coat of oil on it.
I think it's worth noting that the seasoning, while still a plastic and an oxidized oil and not necessarily good for you (probably bad or neutral), is not necessarily the same levels of bad for you that PFAS like teflon are when ingested. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they've been observed in our blood stream and don't naturally break down.
I tried carbon steel but I couldn't get the seasoning right, and it flash rusted every time I washed it. Also, to someone used to non-stick or stainless steel, it often looks kind of dirty - its difficult to distinguish between "good but unattractive seasoning" and "you didn't wash your pan well enough".
It’s pretty easy to make a stainless steel pan non-stick. I cook eggs and pancakes all the time without any sticking. The trick is you have to let the pan come all the way up to your desired cooking temperature. When the pan is hot enough, water vaporizes instantly creating a gas buffer between your food at the pan, aka the Leidenfrost effect. You can tell if the pan is hot enough by splashing a little water on it. A pan hot enough to cook on without food sticking will have the water form round beads of water that slide around the pan rather than splashing or boiling. While there is definitely a minimum cooking temperature this works on, you don’t necessarily need to cook at a higher temperature. You just need to let the pan preheat at your desired cooking temperature for longer.
As far as I know, non stick surfaces are mostly (always?) made out of PTFE (brand name Teflon), which is a little unusual in that it starts releasing toxic gases when it's heated way before it shows any signs of structural damage or deformation. This gets dangerous to humans from about 240C, but even at 220C PTFE will release trace amounts that can be toxic to birds.
With this in mind, I'm baffled about how many products with non-stick surfaces are marketed as safe up to 240C, considering that household ovens are often bad at controlling temperatures and can swing 20-30C above and below the set temperature.
I 100% agree about cooking with non-stick pans at high heat. Several years ago I switched to a type of non-stick pan that is supposed to be safer and I stopped frying foods [1] and instead simmer in vegetable broth. I take a regular stir-fry Asian, Japanese, Korean, etc. recipe and using the same ingredients but no oil, simmer everything in veggie broth and the results are delicious. I add a tablespoon of cold quality olive oil to the food a minute after I turn off the heat.
[1] my wife likes fried food and she uses an iron frying pan.
I mainly used stainless steel myself, but I have been losing weight in the last year and it's just too easy to cook with minimal (or no) oil in non-stick pans. Oil easily adds a lot of calories to everything.
I'm the same, find the prevalence of non-stick bizarre, they still need to be washed and are basically degrading the moment you use high heat. You can't use metal or do stirfrys making them half as useful.
Would also include plastic utensils in that. So many people I know have half melted plastic spatulas etc. Wooden and metal utensils work fine and barely cost any more. I have a nice old teak ladle that's lasted me for a decade while friends are throwing out their bubbled horror show plastic after 12 months.
So you should not go outside anymore as car tires are the largest emitter of microplastics?
The causality and health implications are laughable here that it has anything to do with the bottle. This seems like a new thing to outrage imo.
Is there any real evidence that consuming these is a problem though?
Last I checked the evidence was shaky that this is even problematic for humans and read like a who's who of sketchy medical claims, up there with seed oils killing your testosterone.
The really annoying thing is that when you bring up the generational decline of testosterone in men no one really cares. Then RFK Jr brings it up - quite validly - and now you have the entire Democrat-pharma industrial complex lumping it under "far-right conspiracy theory, probably funded by Russia and MAGA white supremacists who hate women and Muslims".
The irony is that it's a problem that is clearly already having consequences already. It's quite likely it's behind some of the current issues both at the fringes (rapid onset gender dysphoria) and broadly in politics (see the correlation between male testosterone levels and voting patterns). It potentially wipes out humanity way before anything with climate change, but since it affects men, the West just doesn't care.
There's also a correlation between increasing levels of obesity and decreasing levels of testosterone. And a likely explanation, in that fat cells metabolize testosterone to oestrogen, plus, obesity is linked to lower levels of SHBG which binds to and carries testosterone in the blood. So it's probably that too.
Also from what I've read, I think ROGD mostly affects young women and girls? It's not so much a male phenomenon. I don't think any of the research so far has linked it to plastics consumption, seems more to be a socially contagious, culture-bound syndrome, like anorexia is.
> It's quite likely it's behind some of the current issues both at the fringes (rapid onset gender dysphoria) and broadly in politics (see the correlation between male testosterone levels and voting patterns).
Can you expand on this? Are you attributing political movement to the left in young men to lower testosterone levels?
If you're going to assert statements that wild you should provide valid sources for them, otherwise it should be fairly easy to dismiss them as paranoid and baseless conspiracy theories. Your own ideology should not inform how you interpret objective facts, although I know this is often difficult to achieve for people on the far-right end of the political spectrum.
That first paragraph was so good... I can't believe it was followed by the second one.
Anyway, about the first, there are people studying a possible link between plastics contamination and the testosterone trend. AFAIK, nobody has got anything yet. And given that there are other very likely culprits, I do think stating the link with plastics is way too premature.
There is no evidence in the linked text that possible "reproductive issues" from sperm count reduction would be something overall bad. One possibility is that the total number of humans born will decrease somewhat and that global population will be somewhat lower compared to an alternative scenario with less microplastics. Every human has needs that require energy and resources so a scenario with lower global population might be better in terms of making sure all born humans get what they need.
It’s not just about the containers if you look at the big picture. Micro plastic is everywhere nowadays and if you set yourself to avoid it you’ll have a hard time. Even opening a plastic bottle releases micro plastic in the environment and now all supermarket food comes in plastic. Also the accumulated plastic seems to be reaching us already from the food chain, with marine food being full of micro plastic which goes to our bodies.
But maybe it’s worth avoiding it at all cost? That’s the big question.
I'm glad that civilization has gotten it together enough to produce this study. Clearly it took an exorbitant amount of planning and resources to do, and we shouldn't expect studies like this that often. But at long last, we now have hard evidence that microwaving food in plastic containers is bad, many decades after they were introduced as "microwave safe."
As the burden of proof for something being unsafe is on us, the consumer, rather than the companies introducing novel elements into the food supply, this is an important milestone. Things are safe until proven otherwise, and it's up to us to do the work to prove we aren't just being paranoid about any health issues that arise.
But now we can rest easy knowing that we're set up to get these misleading "microwave-safe" labels removed... a few decades from now.
(/s. Anyone could have done this study at any time - all they did was to microwave water in plastic containers to see what would happen. I guess literally nobody has ever done that before, certainly not the companies labeling their products as "microwave safe." Maybe in another few decades, someone will look at what happens with Teflon coated pans.)
The limiting factor has always been access to expensive scientific equipment to actually run the experiment, then access to a reputible publishing channel.
Scientific lab equipment, a las, is still a field ripe for more work on democratization. Mind, even that suffers from things like the War on Drugs making possession of lab paraphenalia (accurate scales, glassware, and other things needed for taking accurate/controlled measurements) a risky proposition. In fact, one could say, the System is tilted against the Citizen Scientist unaffiliated with an organization from the get-go.
Because many people use plastic Tupperware in the microwave. I've never purchased a piece of tuperware that said it would release microplastics into the food if I put it in the microwave.
I don't know what it is lately but I feel like a lot of things labeled as "myths" and "woo woo" seem to be coming out as actually harmful, forever chemicals, fluoride in drinking water are others that come to mind.
I remember there was a bit of a trend to rubbish using microwaves, as if it harmed the food or something, but it is curious that those people actually had a point, at least when the microwave was combined with plastic containers.
My opinion, it's better to always have an open mind.
> I've never purchased a piece of tuperware that said it would release microplastics into the food if I put it in the microwave.
One thing to be skeptical or open minded or whatever but this statement is just stunningly naive. That you would only consider it if the company selling it tell you that. There is a thing called using your brain to come to independent conclusions. I'm probably just pissing into the wind here because I realize the current discourse it that you must listen to your betters and believe only the experts or whatever.
Agreed. I haven’t microwaved food in plastic for 20+ years. It just always seemed gross. My biggest beef with plastic containers is that once washed with cheap dish soap (e.g. Dawn) the plastic container and any food stored in it always an forever smell and taste like the fragrance in the soap. I don’t find this to be a problem when using 7th Generation dish soap, which I consider to be far superior.
>I don’t find this to be a problem when using 7th Generation dish soap, which I consider to be far superior.
I feel i'm about to fall into a rabit hole where i read way too much about dish soap. Is this a joke or is there really such a thing as 7th generation dish soap?
Interesting, I view Dawn as name-brand, maybe premium product and thought it was well-regarded, though maybe that's all those advertisements with oil-soaked animals getting cleaned up doing a number on me.
Never had a complaint or noticed a residual odor, though.
Definitely. I have never, ever microwaved (or otherwise heated) food in plastic. My intuition just screams that it's disgusting and stupid and I honestly can't understand how people can do this.
I don't even store cold food in plastic containers any more because I found out you can buy glass ones. They are so much more convenient and clean.
I’ve switched to glass bottles for my daughter pretty early on, but most of the bottles used for breast milk pumps are plastic (e.g. https://www.medela.com/breastfeeding/products/collecting/sto...), and are supposed to be boiled after each use for disinfection. I really wonder how durable they are and how much microplastic ends up in that breastmilk…
Readit News
Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free", but that doesn't guarantee some other plastic that's used doesn't contain harmful substances or cause as yet unknown side effects that just haven't been found by researchers yet. This goes double for new plastics which haven't had much research done on them yet but that manufacturers can honestly claim don't contain BPA.
Those kinds of assurances just aren't good enough, as this study shows.
Indeed, it's common to substitute bisphenol-B for bisphenol-A in these situations.
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/many-bpa-free-plasti...
Of course you won't see that happen in real time in a way that's like "Ah, now it's unsafe." But rest assured knowing it's ALL unsafe, depending on how you feel about life.
https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/
If you're using it at home, can sacrifice a little more space, and are doing more of an immersion brew then maybe go for a Hario Switch or french press. The Switch looks a lot like a cone brewer but has a ball valve at the bottom. There is still a wee bit of plastic involved but less than aeropress. You can grind for and/or use filters designed for faster draw down, personally I use a cloth filter which is a bit of faff as you need to rinse it out and store it in the fridge in a cup of water. Paper filters on the switch, in my experience, lead to over extraction unless you grind coarse etc etc.
If again you're at home and are really more into the high extraction pseudo-espresso kinda cups and you have more counter space, mental space, and wallet space to give to coffee then maybe go for a Flair lever espresso.
If you're not at home I don't think you're finding something without plastic.
I use a glass chemex with paper filters pretty frequently for larger quantity, and a Cona vacuum pot which is 100% glass for special occasions. Oh and a crofton (from aldi) carafe with a stainless insert for making cold brew.
You can perhaps mitigate the risk by making sure to brew at the "right" temperature (like 185F, not boiling). It is also possible to do cold brew in the Aeropress (even a much faster version of cold brew, where you use room temperature water and stir vigorously for a few minutes).
It is pretty frustrating trying to go plastic-less even with just food products. The glass storage containers for instance all seem to have plastic lids and seals...
Deleted Comment
BPA has been identified as a hormone disruptor. My question is, how many other plastics have been investigated to rule out hormone disruptors? Safe means more than zero evidence of harm.
1. Easy for cleaning
2. Good glass container will look new for years with proper washing
3. It breaks. So it requires full attention of person handling it. We all want to live in present moment, don't we? Use glassware and you will be in the present moment more often ;)
I'm with you in that I only use glassware to store food. But it's a bit annoying to have to put a little plate on top of the Pyrex as a makeshift lid in the microwave.
My wife has an extensive collection of vintage Pyrex with lids, but she doesn't trust they're microwave safe.
And yet, somehow it was the standard method of operation for more than half a century before plastic bowls became widely available.
I feel bad for those poor 1940's housewives, all hunched over and disfigured from dragging 200 tons of Corningware to the church potluck supper.
Unfortunately, borosilicate glassware is more difficult to find, so even if I would like to use it exclusively, besides some borosilicate items like teapots, double-wall glasses for hot or cold drinks, glass vessels with glass lids for microwave cooking, I still use other heavier items made of tempered glass, e.g. bowls, other sizes of vessels for microwave cooking and rectangular vessels with glass lids for storing food in the refrigerator.
You are right that I normally do not carry food away from home in tempered glass vessels and this is the only purpose for which I use polypropylene boxes, but when I have a borosilicate vessel of suitable size I do not hesitate to use it. Even if it is not so light as PP, the weight is manageable.
I am not sure how you'd get away from that, it's actually very hard to find anything that isn't like that on the market these days.
Dead Comment
So does plastic.
Also, it's a microwave oven. Who thinks that you can stick your hands on something in a device called an "oven" and not get burned?
not at all
4. Glassware usually costs more. 5. Knowing that I can't break the tub of food that I have in my bag just because I accidentally dropped my bag, releases me of a lot of stress and worry.
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that plastics are toxic, but when I go to the store I always look at the prices and pick the cheapest option available, I wish I had the option of just being able to take what looks nice and pay without even knowing how much I pay, but sadly I can't, _yet_, afford that.
It does, plastic has similar structure to oil and it is a PITA to clean oil from plastic containers.
From glass/metal it is very easy.
I had multiple plastic containers stained forever after storing pasta sauce in them, that never happened to any of my glass containers.
Nothing will convince me it’s safe to cook food to high temperature on whatever that chemical coating is.
And after a while you notice the surface is wearing away…. where is it going? Into you and your family.
All my pots and pans are stainless steel.
The usual recommendation for skillets is carbon-steel and cast iron because the seasoning does provide some non-stick properties. I have the full gamut with carbon steel, cast iron, non-stick and stainless steel, and find myself mostly leaning on the carbon steel. (I don't have any other materials since I cook on induction.)
But here's a catch: that seasoning? Basically a plastic. It's polymerized cooking oil. You can decide if you care. But you'll also polymerize oil when cooking on stainless. Basically: if you want to go ultra-paranoid, don't fry things.
Unlike steel, cast iron generates dust when abraded. Dust that is really bad for you. Known to cause lung issues, etc.
I machine it all the time (both ductile and non). It is usually is machined dry with vacuum because it will clog coolant systems. It basically turns into a horrible mud when mixed with coolant or water I happen to filter the coolant system so i can machine it wet, but that's not all - i also run a dust extractor to avoid these issues.
Cast iron is popular, but i've seen no science that suggests it should be used. There is no evidence i've seen that it's particularly better at anything, none of the "seasoning" thing is a real rust protectant for either cast iron or steel (and steel will usually rust slower), though it is non stick in the same sense that things are harder to stick to burned things :)
Steel won't generate the same kind of horrible dust when you abrade through the seasoning.
I don't season anything though - if i want to protect something from rust i dry it. If seasoning was a super good rust protectant we'd use it as one in other cases.
If i want something to be non-stick i spray a light coat of oil on it.
With this in mind, I'm baffled about how many products with non-stick surfaces are marketed as safe up to 240C, considering that household ovens are often bad at controlling temperatures and can swing 20-30C above and below the set temperature.
[1] my wife likes fried food and she uses an iron frying pan.
Would also include plastic utensils in that. So many people I know have half melted plastic spatulas etc. Wooden and metal utensils work fine and barely cost any more. I have a nice old teak ladle that's lasted me for a decade while friends are throwing out their bubbled horror show plastic after 12 months.
Study Finds Microplastics in More than 90 Percent of Tested Water Bottles
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-finds-microp...
Just opening a plastic bottle can release thousands of microplastics
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237900-just-opening-a-...
Study: Plastic Baby Bottles Shed Microplastics When Heated. Should You Be Worried?
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/19/9255251...
NIST Study Shows Everyday Plastic Products Release Trillions of Microscopic Particles Into Water
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/04/nist-study-sho...
Occurrence of microplastics in raw and treated drinking water
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...
Plastic bottles for chilled carbonated beverages as a source of microplastics and nanoplastics
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37354839/
Plastic containers still distributed across the US are a potential health disaster
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/01/pfas-law...
A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02697...
A Review of Human Exposure to Microplastics and Insights Into Microplastics as Obesogens
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34484127/
International quantification of microplastics in indoor dust: prevalence, exposure and risk assessment
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35977640/
Last I checked the evidence was shaky that this is even problematic for humans and read like a who's who of sketchy medical claims, up there with seed oils killing your testosterone.
The irony is that it's a problem that is clearly already having consequences already. It's quite likely it's behind some of the current issues both at the fringes (rapid onset gender dysphoria) and broadly in politics (see the correlation between male testosterone levels and voting patterns). It potentially wipes out humanity way before anything with climate change, but since it affects men, the West just doesn't care.
Also from what I've read, I think ROGD mostly affects young women and girls? It's not so much a male phenomenon. I don't think any of the research so far has linked it to plastics consumption, seems more to be a socially contagious, culture-bound syndrome, like anorexia is.
Can you expand on this? Are you attributing political movement to the left in young men to lower testosterone levels?
Anyway, about the first, there are people studying a possible link between plastics contamination and the testosterone trend. AFAIK, nobody has got anything yet. And given that there are other very likely culprits, I do think stating the link with plastics is way too premature.
...is it?
https://www.ft.com/content/f14ab282-1dd3-46bf-be02-a59aff3a9...
But maybe it’s worth avoiding it at all cost? That’s the big question.
As the burden of proof for something being unsafe is on us, the consumer, rather than the companies introducing novel elements into the food supply, this is an important milestone. Things are safe until proven otherwise, and it's up to us to do the work to prove we aren't just being paranoid about any health issues that arise.
But now we can rest easy knowing that we're set up to get these misleading "microwave-safe" labels removed... a few decades from now.
(/s. Anyone could have done this study at any time - all they did was to microwave water in plastic containers to see what would happen. I guess literally nobody has ever done that before, certainly not the companies labeling their products as "microwave safe." Maybe in another few decades, someone will look at what happens with Teflon coated pans.)
Scientific lab equipment, a las, is still a field ripe for more work on democratization. Mind, even that suffers from things like the War on Drugs making possession of lab paraphenalia (accurate scales, glassware, and other things needed for taking accurate/controlled measurements) a risky proposition. In fact, one could say, the System is tilted against the Citizen Scientist unaffiliated with an organization from the get-go.
Found this paper from 1982: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44540143
Because many people use plastic Tupperware in the microwave. I've never purchased a piece of tuperware that said it would release microplastics into the food if I put it in the microwave.
I don't know what it is lately but I feel like a lot of things labeled as "myths" and "woo woo" seem to be coming out as actually harmful, forever chemicals, fluoride in drinking water are others that come to mind.
I remember there was a bit of a trend to rubbish using microwaves, as if it harmed the food or something, but it is curious that those people actually had a point, at least when the microwave was combined with plastic containers.
My opinion, it's better to always have an open mind.
Is there a legitimate issue with fluoride in drinking water? A quick google search yields nothing.
One thing to be skeptical or open minded or whatever but this statement is just stunningly naive. That you would only consider it if the company selling it tell you that. There is a thing called using your brain to come to independent conclusions. I'm probably just pissing into the wind here because I realize the current discourse it that you must listen to your betters and believe only the experts or whatever.
I feel i'm about to fall into a rabit hole where i read way too much about dish soap. Is this a joke or is there really such a thing as 7th generation dish soap?
Never had a complaint or noticed a residual odor, though.
I don't even store cold food in plastic containers any more because I found out you can buy glass ones. They are so much more convenient and clean.