For the Love of God, Stop Microwaving Plastic

Oh you rascal, you know we can't stay mad at you.

🥇

Chef Mike!

Isn’t all radiation– from colours we can see all the way to microwave and nuclear – just the frequency of wavelengths? Like radio is light waves? So microwaves being a longer wavelength, when it passes through different materials (say, plastics) it can be sped up* and distorted, bringing it into the spectrum of UV light?

I don’t know, I’m not a physicist, but that would be my guess. I’d love for someone with knowledge to educate me here.

e: got my wavelengths reversed

It's a combination of heat, UV irradiation, and hydrolysis that happens within a microwave and affects said plastic containers.

However the article refers towards polypropylene as the main cause of concern, due to its amorphous nature, it tends to break into microplastics and nanoplastics.

The earlier tends to be discarded by our kidneys (at a cost), the latter can get through membranes due its size and cause different types of trouble.

I have a set of nesting glass containers like this that only cost like $40 for the whole set. You can probably find similar sets for cheaper; that was the first google result I found.

Just dump the contents from your plastic container into one of those and voilà – no more nanoplastics. :)

e: oh, it just occurred to me you weren’t talking about reheating in their packaging, but how it’s served. I suppose if it were me and I knew them well, I might try to gently mention to them that their packaging isn’t great, and maybe suggest they look into a paper-based option instead. More likely I’d puss out and never say anything, because I’m a social coward. Best of luck to you, and I’d say never reheat in the package they give you.

I'm guessing it has less to do with heat (unless you're bringing it close to the melting point) and more to with microwaves breaking down plastics at the microscopic level.

I really would not do that, just given what I have read (that the plastic breaks down when heated, which is what the food would do).

From the article: “In general, they found that hotter storage temperatures cause more plastic particles to leak into food. For example, one polypropylene container released over 400,000 more microplastics per square centimeter after being left in a hot room than after being stored in a refrigerator (which still caused nearly 50,000 microplastics and 11.5 million nanoplastics per square centimeter to shed into the stored fluid). “I got terrified seeing the amount of microplastics under the microscope,” Hussain says.”

This was my first question as well

Glass is better. It’s known to be more molecularly stable in the microwave.

I don’t believe that there are microwave-safe plastics

Here’s the academic study published this year.

If you don’t have academic credentials to log in (and I suspect you don’t), LPT you can email or tweet the study’s authors and they’ll happily send you access for free.

e: a key takeaway: ‘Furthermore, an in vitro study conducted to assess the cell viability showed that the extracted microplastics and nanoplastics released from the plastic container can cause the death of 76.70 and 77.18% of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) at 1000 μg/mL concentration after exposure of 48 and 72 h, respectively.’

That's literally NOT what it's saying? They literally are saying, verbatim, that they don't think ANY plastic we know of is microwave safe. Are you dumb or intentionally trying to mislead people?

I hate Wired as much as the next Zippie, but they’re just passing on the info here. And what plastics are microwave safe?

Boland disagrees: “I don’t believe that there are microwave-safe plastics.” Trasand and Enck agree that while independent studies should continue testing how much plastic is being released from food packaging, there is already enough evidence to show that “microwave-safe plastic” isn’t really safe. “I think the FDA needs to tell companies that they can no longer say any plastic is microwavable,” says Enck.

That’s right, Bubba. Doughnut. Goose-egg. Nada

It boils down to “don’t microwave plastics that aren’t microwave safe” What a fucking revelation

The main plastic the article calls into question is polypropylene. I've got bad news for you. Its used frequently in microwavable food products and sold as "microwave safe". Polypropylene is recycle symbol #5.

Here's a perfect example. That cup of rice is #5 plastic, polypropylene. You can see the package says right on it "Microwave for one minute". This isn't the only product I've seen with a polypropylene container. Here's another one for BBQ pulled porkyou can even see on the package itself in the bottom right hand corner at the recycling symbol it says its polypropylene. And if you look at the preparation instructions it gives microwave directions.

I can't speak to the science in the article, but it certainly is talking about a plastic that consumers are regularly told is safe to microwave.

while i am a bit sceptic of the value of this article, no i dont. I have never in my life put plastic in the microwave and never in my life did i think that this would be a good idea. Not because of conviction or anything but because i developed a fight and flight reaction towards heating plastic.

There are tons of foods packaged in plastic that are (according to the directions) meant to be microwaved, never mind people heating up leftovers in takeout containers or whatever. It's super common. And even if you never do it yourself, I can almost guarantee that your favourite restaurant does so you're still consuming foods microwaved in plastic one way or another.

Yes. People. Stahp.

I’m literally doing it as we speak. :(

e: I’ve been buying Steamables because I’m disabled and can’t easily cook. For those who don’t know, it’s basically a meal in a plastic bag, that you microwave for six minutes, and apparently the literal worst thing you can do.

Now I think of it, as a disabled and poor person, I’m struggling to think of a meal I can make that isn’t riddled with plastics. I guess we’re doomed.

Some people have cheap plates