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Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

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Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#161

Post by jjoonathan »

least wrote: post #123
88913527 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unclear what the advantages of borosilicate are from this discussion. Is it merely the lightness? Either-or would seem to solve the problem of microplastic release on microwaving.

We use plastic containers largely for convenience. They're durable, malleable, and don't shatter like glass. They're also lighter and thinner, and cheaper. This makes them useful for things like takeout containers or any situation where you need to transport food. Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. It's generally less prone to shattering, and it's also more tolerant of rapid temperature changes. As far…

> Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. It's generally less prone to shattering, and it's also more tolerant of rapid temperature changes.

You sure about that? I always heard that borosilicate was significantly less durable (30% is the figure I remember, not sure if that's 30% less or 70% less) and all the thermal shock resistance came from lowering the CTE.

I don't know if that was a half truth from a soda-lime salesman or if nostalgia googles are giving borosilicate credit it does not deserve.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#162

Post by noduerme »

koheripbal wrote: post #132
noduerme wrote: post #121

OK. Question about this. Microplastics have measurable negative effects on mammalian brains. That's been shown recently. I've never microwaved or cooked anything in plastic, and I've yelled at people who do since the 90s. Unfortunately, I break my own teeth a lot. I've shattered three of them in my sleep. It's not fun to wake up to a giant cracking sound in your head, realize your nerve is exposed, swallow part of a…

Out of curiosity, are you taking any medications regularly? Some medications, from ADD meds to heart meds, that can cause teeth grinding.

No. I'm not on any meds. I moved to a new town and had a dentist tell his assistant, in front of me, that I was "another meth addict", but I've never done meth. I just operate at a really high level of stress that comes out in my sleep.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#163

Post by justinsaything »

tetromino_ wrote: post #136
justinsaything wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Or clumsy. Or a small child. Clumsy people and small children still need to eat, though.

One of them is synonymous. Clumsiness is a learned (or lack of) behavior, whereas children can be taught to be mindful of their actions. As a child who grew up in a poor Eastern European family, I was punished for my clumsiness, which led me to become an adult who pays attention to what he does. While I empathize with individuals who have significant cognitive deficits, I generally have absolutely no tolerance for those who do not make an effort to be mindful of their actions.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#164

Post by RamblingCTO »

nailer wrote: post #6
RamblingCTO wrote: post #4

Oh uh, not good. I'm heating my lunch in a plastic container. Dammit. Glass is way too heavy!

Put your lunch onto a plate and pop a bowl on top of it to prevent spillage. Ceramic doesn’t react.

Hm, right! Carry it to work in plastic, heat it on a plate. I'm doing that occasionally. Weird I didn't think of that and wanted to buy glass containers haha

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#165

Post by sprucevoid »

graeme wrote: post #134
arsome wrote: post #109

Is there any real evidence that consuming these is a problem though? Last I checked the evidence was shaky that this is even problematic for humans and read like a who's who of sketchy medical claims, up there with seed oils killing your testosterone.

Reproductive issues are real. Sperm counts have fallen massively, and the lead researcher thinks EDCs are to blame. She only drinks filtered water. https://www.ft.com/content/f14ab282-1dd3-46bf-be02-a59aff3a9...

There is no evidence in the linked text that possible "reproductive issues" from sperm count reduction would be something overall bad. One possibility is that the total number of humans born will decrease somewhat and that global population will be somewhat lower compared to an alternative scenario with less microplastics. Every human has needs that require energy and resources so a scenario with lower global population might be better in terms of making sure all born humans get what they need.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#166

Post by permo-w »

grugagag wrote: post #114
cubefox wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just food of course. A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02697... A Review of Human Exposure to Microplastics and Insights Into Microplastics as Obesogens https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34484127/ International quantification of microplastics in indoor dust: prevalence, exposure and risk assessm…

It’s most of our modern world goods

just stop oil

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#167

Post by verall »

tenpies wrote: post #127
arsome wrote: post #109

Is there any real evidence that consuming these is a problem though? Last I checked the evidence was shaky that this is even problematic for humans and read like a who's who of sketchy medical claims, up there with seed oils killing your testosterone.

The really annoying thing is that when you bring up the generational decline of testosterone in men no one really cares. Then RFK Jr brings it up - quite validly - and now you have the entire Democrat-pharma industrial complex lumping it under "far-right conspiracy theory, probably funded by Russia and MAGA white supremacists who hate women and Muslims". The irony is that it's a problem that is clearly already having…

> It's quite likely it's behind some of the current issues both at the fringes (rapid onset gender dysphoria) and broadly in politics (see the correlation between male testosterone levels and voting patterns).

Can you expand on this? Are you attributing political movement to the left in young men to lower testosterone levels?

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#168

Post by hospitalJail »

quaintdev wrote: post #154
hospitalJail wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It burns your hands when its soup.

Maybe they should have wooden handles to hold or bottom part made of wood.

Sure, but now its not dishwasher safe because mold.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#169

Post by cmrdporcupine »

quaintdev wrote: post #5

Why we don't use glassware? It's perfect for food. 1. Easy for cleaning 2. Good glass container will look new for years with proper washing 3. It breaks. So it requires full attention of person handling it. We all want to live in present moment, don't we? Use glassware and you will be in the present moment more often ;)

The plastic containers we have here that we use for leftovers and microwaving are fine, but they actually have plastic rimmed lids, to hold a seal.

I am not sure how you'd get away from that, it's actually very hard to find anything that isn't like that on the market these days.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#170

Post by JimiofEden »

hospitalJail wrote: post #116
quaintdev wrote: post #5

Why we don't use glassware? It's perfect for food. 1. Easy for cleaning 2. Good glass container will look new for years with proper washing 3. It breaks. So it requires full attention of person handling it. We all want to live in present moment, don't we? Use glassware and you will be in the present moment more often ;)

It burns your hands when its soup.

I have a number of fabric bowl cozies that can go in with the bowl so I can pull it out easily and it doesn't burn my hands. Do recommend
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