Putting Plastic in the Microwave

[ku]

If a food is in a plastic container and I heat up the food while it is in the plastic container, does the melted plastic contaminate the food?

 

What about with plastic wrapping?

[Guest dbj]

Yeah, but to a very minor extent. Plastics are made up of long chain-like molecules called polymers, and any heat you add will cause some rearrangement, cross-reaction, and breaking of the chains. You might be able to detect trace amounts of polymer in food that was heated in a microwave. Maybe. But most plastics are pretty inert, so you could probably swallow a couple spoonfuls of it and it wouldn't hurt you. Don't try that though.

 

Dave

[Sayonara]

You are a lot more likely to ingest residue from cling film left on food in your refridgerator - plasticisers leach out of it after a couple of days.

[5614]

some food which is designed to be cooked in a plastic container will normally be made of a plastic that will not melt.

 

as others have said, anything you may eat (accidentaly, you could do anything if it was deliberate) would be insignificant to you.

[Sayonara]

Not really true - over time, plasticisers can accumulate in your body. Some have an oestrogenic effect

[ed84c]

oestrogenic?

[5614]

i think he may have meant "estrogenic" which is a referal to estrogen which is a female hormone.... hmmm, not good!

[Sayonara]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=oestrogen

 

I like the way the American Heritage dictionary calls it a "chiefly British variant of estrogen".

[5614]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=oestrogen

 

I like the way the American Heritage dictionary calls it a "chiefly British variant of estrogen".

 

as i suspected, making the original ":eek:" very applicable to us men!

[ed84c]

anybody know the chemistry behind plastic induced oestrogenic effects?