How to Create a Safer Kitchen. Use a Stainless Steel … The Fix: When heating food in a microwave, only use microwave-safe cookware. Avoid putting hot food into plastic. Finally, after weeks, they found that a temporary worker had used the wrong detergent to clean the plastic cages and water bottles, causing BPA to leach into the mice's water and environment. Or, as some scientists now put it, "the timing makes the poison," says Andrea Gore, Ph.D., who studies hormone disruptors at the University of Texas at Austin. Microwaving food on ceramic or glass plates and serving hot food in paper-based packages or on ceramic or wooden plates will eliminate the risk of ingesting these chemicals. My kids haven't reached puberty yet, and I don't want them to any earlier than nature intended. In the meantime, the National Toxicology Program has stepped in, conducting its own revised review of BPA. Why trust us? Their 2000 study showed that these children had phthalate levels, on average, almost seven times higher than those in a control group of girls. Is that level a lot? "The science is just not definitive.". In 2007, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found BPA in more than half of the 97 food cans it tested, with the highest levels coming from chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli. But food storage, reheating, and serving are not among them. The practice of bagging hawker food and hot soup in plastic bags might be common, but recent findings reported on Oriental Daily suggests that this should be less common.. A director of Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, surnamed Zheng, has studied findings released … Today, as DES children — and now DES grandchildren — have grown up, doctors have cataloged a long list of reproductive and other abnormalities linked to the drug. Nor does anyone know for sure whether BPA accumulates in humans over time, though most scientists believe adults process it quickly — in as little as a day. "There are critical windows of vulnerability," says Maida Galvez, M.D., a pediatrician with the Mount Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit in New York City. Even if it says “microwave safe” on it, it's still going to leach chemicals. Opinions in the US and Europe vary widely when it comes to putting hot food in the refrigerator. There is no set rule on how many times a person can eat food that has touched hot plastic without getting sick. Radiation+plastic not a good combination! Most of the controversy surrounds the chemicals used to make plastic containers soft or clear, like BPA and phthalates. Food storage bags can be broken into or bit open by pests. The thing is, plastic used in containers is not that top notch standard. Next, the lab tested these four items with "food simulants" — chemicals designed to stand in for real food in a lab. We all instinctively know it. We shipped several samples of each item off to an independent lab, where they were shredded into bits, then analyzed to see if any detectable amounts of BPA and phthalates were present in the products. "There was nothing in our report that should cause alarm...but at the same time, people should make their own decision about which precautions they want to take," says Michael Shelby, Ph.D., director of the NTP's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. He explained that some of these chemicals cause “disruptions in human reproduction which can lead to infertility.”, Furthermore, they are known to “predispose the one eating the food to conditions like diabetes and hypertension.”, He added that if children habitually eat food containing these chemicals, they “may develop these illnesses earlier.”. Just as a mom might prepare her family's dinner in her kitchen, GHRI scientists, working with chemists at an independent lab, heated samples of Old World Style Ragú Traditional Smooth Pasta Sauce and Heinz Home Style Gravy Savory Beef in the microwave in two different widely available storage containers and in glass bowls covered with a commonly used plastic wrap. The panel issued the reassuring statement that it had "minimal concern" about most human health effects from BPA, though it acknowledged "some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposure." It would make sense that liquid foods (soups, sauces, beverages) would have more surface area touching the inexorable plastic container than, say, cut lettuce, rolls, or shredded cheese. But bisphenol A in that resin can migrate into the foods; in fact, it's the major source of our exposure to the chemical, says the government's National Toxicology Program. The acidity of certain foods and beverages can draw chemicals from the plastic into the food. But there are already clues. Traditionally, government toxicologists have operated under the well-known theory that "the dose makes the poison" — the more chemical you ingest, the sicker you get. They are added to many plastic products — automobile dashboards, vinyl shower curtains, raincoats, even your toddler's rubber ducky — to make them soft or pliable. In 2007, an expert panel was commissioned by the National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which evaluates chemicals for safety. Plastic, in a lots of unseen ways, 'react' with heat. "How can you go back and say, 'It must be this chemical?'". ", The NTP advice to consumers was hard to decode. BPA and phthalates are what are known as endocrine disruptors — chemicals that can interfere with our hormone systems, mimicking, shutting down, or modifying the chemical signals that regulate everything from metabolism and reproduction to our bodies' response to stress. Here in Accra, thin plastic bags and styrofoam packs are the preferred containers for take-away food. Just one to three servings of those foods with those concentrations could expose a woman or a child to BPA at levels that cause serious adverse effects in animal tests, the group concluded. Quickly, as the media coverage intensified, manufacturers and retailers took up the charge: Last spring, just when I was packing my kids' lunches with Nalgene water bottles, the company announced it was phasing out bottles made with BPA. Like BPA, phthalates have been "added" to most of us as well. My kitchen is probably similar to yours — filled with products that help me get dinner on the table fast. The chemical has also been found in household dust, where it settles as plastic products break down and scatter microscopic particles. Plastic take-out cartons, margarine tubs, or yogurt containers may not hold up to wear and tear or freezer temperatures. Using glass jars is the recommended method for storing food in the pantry as chemical leaching can occur when food is stored in plastic containers. The GHRI tests turned up good news. Be extra cautious with infants: If you use commercial formula, buy it in powdered form, which comes in a foil-lined cardboard container and shouldn't have any BPA, says the FDA. And if they're not, we'd like to stop hyperventilating. Whether it is rice, porridge, stew, or banku, roadside food joints and chop bars serve it up hot in this cheap, convenient packaging for thousands of customers every day. When plastic is heated, says Scientific American, it leaches chemicals 55 times faster than normal. The good news: Twenty-seven of the products tested contained no phthalates or BPA. Whether it’s reusable melamine or the one-time-use plastic plates and cups, they’re potentially worse for you when heated. Many of their and other studies of endocrine disruptors have found serious health effects at levels as low as 2 micrograms per one kilogram of body weight — that's 25 times lower than the EPA's safe level. We also tossed into our shopping cart packages of best-selling frozen dinners for both children and adults and plastic liners designed to be used in a slow cooker. It's enough to make a mom toss up her hands — and toss out all the plastic in the house. Many women used DES until the early 1970s, when researchers discovered it was causing an unusual cancer of the reproductive tract in young women who'd been exposed to the hormone in the womb. Then place the pot of food or smaller containers in the ice water. Certain medical researchers have also identified a range of hormone-related developmental issues that can arise in children exposed to these chemicals. Certain phthalates are also used in beauty products, to prevent chipping in nail polish, for example. Wax paper, plastic wrap, paper (not foam) plates and white, unprinted paper towels are suitable options, as well. In 1988, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a safe consumer limit for BPA — you could ingest 50 micrograms per one kilogram of body weight per day — it used the old-school tests. Choose soups and broths that come in aseptic boxes or dried soup mixes in nonplastic bags. Were there pesticides coming in?" I sometimes buy food and drinks in plastic containers, I've been known to chop on a plastic cutting board, and I carry water around in a plastic bottle. But it was passed over for a stronger synthetic estrogen — the notorious diethylstilbestrol (DES) — which, starting in the 1940s, was given to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage. If this is something you're worried about, stick with brand name containers, and look for "BPA-free" . But while legislators have been scurrying to pass protective laws, the federal agencies entrusted with overseeing our health have been slow to respond — and maddeningly vague when they do. The price of a ceramic plate may higher than that of a plastic plate, but compared to the long-term financial and emotional costs associated with conditions like diabetes and infertility, it's a small price to pay. Nor should hot food be stored in a plastic container without first allowing time for the hot food to cool down. Her control mice — the healthy ones — started developing the sorts of genetically abnormal eggs that can lead to miscarriages and birth defects. And avoid putting plastic items in the dishwasher; the detergent and heat break down the plastic, which may cause BPA, if it's present, to leach out. This is a silent, hidden exposure." If you must put hot food in the refrigerator, try not to put hot food in deep containers. Today, very few communities recycle paper hot cups of any type. Swan and other experts believe, though, that phthalates might come from household dust and food. That's why the Good Housekeeping Research Institute undertook testing of widely available storage containers, bags, wraps, frozen-entrée trays, and slow-cooker liners to see if these chemicals were, in fact, migrating into food — a kind of real-world investigation that would help moms decide just how cautious they need to be. The research is still in its early days, and much of what we know comes from work with animals. In the fridge, there's usually a collection of leftovers — last night's lasagna, some barbecued chicken the kids didn't finish — in dishes covered with plastic wrap, ready to eat after a zap in the microwave. Whether it is rice, porridge, stew, or banku, roadside food joints and chop bars serve it up hot in this cheap, convenient packaging for thousands of customers every day. While the FDA has issued reassuring statements about the risk, other experts aren't so convinced. The unknown author of the foreboding email hints that a component of plastic, called dioxin, can be some pretty scary stuff. "It can be a question of when in addition to how much." But in humans it's hard to prove cause and effect with 100 percent certainty, says Andrea Gore. Number 7 may contain BPA and 3 may contain phthalates. Cold plastic does not leech chemicals at a rapid rate like heated plastic does. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, What You Need to Know to Get Rid of Bed Bugs, FYI: You Need to Clean Your Washer Once a Month, 2020's Can You Change How You Age Makeover, No Kid Hungry Is Our Newest Humanitarian Seal Star, Everything You Need to Know About Beautyblenders, Why You Might Want to Consider the iPhone XR, Philip Friedman/Studio D; J Muckle/Studio D. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Don't use plastic containers with abrasions, cracks or other damage. I give them water in BPA-free bottles. Three, however, did contain low levels of BPA: the containers (or bottom sections) of Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids, Rubbermaid Premier containers, and Glad Storage Zipper Bags; Glad Press'n Seal wrap had low levels of both phthalates and BPA. There's an additional worry: what other chemicals in plastics might be doing. Never microwave foods in plastic food containers, including margarine tubs and restaurant carryout containers. In other words, these baby boys were somewhat de-masculinized, which could signal impaired semen quality and decreased fertility later on. In pretesting, low levels of BPA had turned up in the two containers — Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids and Rubbermaid Premier. Since heat helps to break the chemical bonds in plastic, it’s possible that exposure to high temperatures increases the rate of chemical migration from the container into the food. It's no surprise that BPA affects hormones — the molecule was tested in the 1930s as an artificial estrogen. Keep the levels below a certain threshold and you'll be OK. That's why the FDA issued its reassuring statement and why the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade group, also believes the amounts of BPA we ingest are safe. Since learning more about the health effects of plastics, including how much we don't know, I've changed some habits. Buy Fresh or Frozen Vegetables. Find out which are safe and which may be hazardous. 1 hour ago, Overweight: High-risk Factor for Oral Health, Why you should sweat it out: Insights from Herbalife Nutriti, Delaying vaccination due to COVID can increase the risk of v, Study finds obesity contributes to 40% mortality gap between, How to get rid of Malware from your Android Smartphone, Ghanaian Visual Artist Receives 2020 Principal Prince Claus, The Aguyiba story: from Gardener to Chief Office Assistant. That's not enough to harm us, according to the FDA, which first reviewed BPA in the 1980s, and in August issued a draft report stating that exposure to the small amounts of BPA that migrate from containers into the food they hold is not dangerous. And fetuses and babies may not metabolize the chemical as well as adults, other experts point out, so it's possible that it builds up in their small bodies. Never put hot food, drinks, or soups in plastic containers or bottles. With BPA and phthalates, there's nothing like the smoking-lung cancer connection, but there are lots of smoking guns. 11 Surprising Facts and Myths About Microwave Ovens. For hot food if its packed in 'cloth' / pauna ( … But news reports have suggested that this may not be perfectly safe, that if there are chemicals — phthalates and BPA — in the plastic, they might migrate into our food. (Our federal health agencies, like the FDA, allow the use of food simulants in testing.) Heated plastic leaches chemicals 55 times faster, so whether you’re reheating a plastic plate in the microwave, putting hot food in a storage container, or using a plate that’s been run through a hot dishwasher, you’re upping your chance of chemical leaching. 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