Why “Microwave-Safe” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does…
Do you ever microwave food in plastic containers? If so, you may be unwittingly exposing your family to harmful chemicals. Here’s what you should know.
Many people mistakenly believe that “microwave-safe” means that a container can safely be used to microwave food with no harmful effects.
In fact, what the label actually means is simply that the container won’t melt or deform in the microwave. It does not mean that it’s safe for your health!
Research now shows that microwaving plastic – even of the “microwave-safe” variety – can release harmful levels of toxic chemicals into your food.
Instead, always transfer food to glass or ceramic containers before microwaving.
See the article below for more on the harmful effects of putting plastics in the microwave:
The two components in plastics that experts are most concerned about are phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA), which are often referred to as endocrine disruptors because of their ability to affect estrogen and testosterone levels in humans. They also appear to have the potential to impact the development of the brain and reproductive organs in developing fetuses.
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Doctors typically advise minimizing exposure to these chemicals “based on a strong body of evidence in animal literature and a good body of literature supporting what has been seen in animal studies in human studies,” says to Dr. Maida Galvez, Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
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And it’s not just some plastic containers; it’s most. An analysis of 455 common plastic products, including supposedly BPA-free ones, found that 70% tested positive for estrogenic activity; that number went up to 95% when the plastics were microwaved.
Learn more in the full article at Time.com…
(Image by BocaDorada [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
