What should you do? Read on. That plastic wrap you find around the food you eat is far from benign: A new study shows that more than 3,600 chemicals leach into food during the packaging process. That plastic wrap you find around the food you eat is far from benign: A new study shows that more than 3,600 chemicals leach into food during the packaging process.
Of that number, 79 chemicals are known to cause cancer, genetic mutations, and endocrine and reproductive issues, a team of international researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
Seriously, stop microwaving your food in plastic
‘We’re exposed to a chemical soup.
Inside your refrigerator and pantry, plastic is everywhere. There’s plastic wrap, storage bags and bins, clamshell takeout containers, beverage bottles, and condiment tubs, of course. Plastics (synthetic polymers) are also a component of the multi-layer material that make up chip bags and encase granola bars. Tin, steel, and aluminum cans, like the type that might hold beans or a soda, are lined with plastic. Even many paper products, such as paper cups and frozen food trays, are coated in–you guessed it–plastic.
So how worried should you be about the plastic cradling your next meal? Is it safe?
The answer depends on multiple factors, experts tell Popular Science–but plastic panic isn’t something to dismiss and there are ways to reduce your exposure risk.
200 Chemicals Tied to Breast Cancer in Food Packaging
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Food sold in shrink wrap, on cardboard trays or in paper containers might contain any of nearly 200 chemicals linked to breast cancer, a new study warns.
Commonly used food packaging materials contain 189 chemicals that can potentially cause breast cancer, researchers reported Sept. 24 in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology.
These hazardous chemicals — including PFAS, bisphenols and phthalates — can migrate from packaging into food, and thus be ingested by people, researchers said.
What can you do?
First stop buying any oils like olive oil in plastic bottles. Pay a little more and get glass only. Any plastic exposed to heat will leach into your water and food. Buy glass when possible.
It’s alarming to consider all of the places plastic infiltrates our food supply and the ways it could be affecting us. Yet eliminating all plastic from your pantry could easily become a full-time job. Instead of worrying and working yourself into a tizzy, there are ways to take realistic actions to minimize your risk of chemical exposure at home.
Heat, surface area, duration of contact, and basic chemistry are all useful factors to consider when making a choice about how to store food.
First of all, DO NOT MICROWAVE FOODS IN PLASTIC. “Higher temperatures facilitate the leaching of chemicals and the release of microplastics,” says Martin Wagner, a biologist studying plastic exposure at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “Never microwave in plastic,” agrees Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist and public health physician at Boston College. Avoid storing hot foods, like fresh-off-the-stove soups, in plastic containers as well, says Braun.
Then, consider the relative amount of food to plastic contact. Liquids, powders, and grains all have lots of surface area to absorb chemicals, notes Muncke. Single-serving containers result in a higher plastic to food ratio, so it is wise to opt for the bulk option where possible. And food stored in plastic for months at a time is more of a concern than something sitting in plastic overnight or for a couple of days in the fridge. Non-perishables and pantry staples, like flour, rice, and cooking liquids are better kept over the long term in glass, stainless steel, or ceramic vessels, she says.
Finally, high fat and high acid foods can pull more chemicals out of a storage container. Oils, vinegars, cheeses, tomato sauce, and sodas are more reactive and “can be a driver for migration,” Muncke tells Popular Science. Consider purchasing versions of these items that don’t come in plastic or plastic-lined cans.
As a bonus, most of these changes have dual benefits: reducing the negative health risks of chemical exposure and cutting the amount of single-use plastic that ends up land-filled, says Braun.
