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Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

news.unl.edu

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Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#51

Post by NovaDudely »

userbinator wrote: post #44
productizeme93 wrote: post #2

It's surprising to me how much we don't understand about plastic still. Years ago I was in a kitchen shop with an out of town friend and we saw some Sous Vide equipment. I told her that we had one and that you could either plastic bags or vacuum sealed bags to cook in the water. Her reaction was an immediate "absolutely not." That's when I realized that she worked in a lab that focused on plastics. Her big call out w…

What exactly were those studies on? Those bags are almost certainly polyethyelene without any additives, which is safe and has been in widespread use for almost a century. Petroleum jelly is far more reactive than PE, although it's substantially the same chemical structure, yet most of us regularly use it on our skin. If the biggest concern about sous vide is the plastic, then I think that's a very strong argument fo…

While the end of your comment could be seen as 'whatabout-ism', you are right that in simply over cooking something or just adding to much salts/sugars to some foods would probably be a bigger issue.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#52

Post by danw1979 »

n8cpdx wrote: post #4

> then heated them at full power for three minutes in a 1,000-watt microwave This seems like unrealistic use of a microwave. The liquids are likely boiling for well over a minute. Are people really boiling liquids in the containers they’re serving their infant children? I’m not especially plastic-phobic but I also don’t think a reasonable person would think it is a good idea to boil liquids in their children’s bottle…

For 10 years I used a plastic microwave steam steriliser for my kids plastic bottles that boiled 200ml of water for 5 minutes at 1000W.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#53

Post by rkagerer »

justinclift wrote: post #26
PlunderBunny wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're all part of a giant experiment. It's a bad experiment too, in the sense that it doesn't really have a proper control group.

The control group: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinelese

Plastic aside, that was an interesting read.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#54

Post by danw1979 »

defatigable wrote: post #21
dataflow wrote: post #14

As someone who avoids cooking with plastic, I've always wondered... what makes people think it's safe? Does it not occur to most people that plastics can break down through the heat they're subjected to, or do they assume the plastics in question have been specifically designed to adequately withstand that?

My basic mental model is that my body is constantly consuming chemicals that it doesn't use, be it particulates in the air or substances in the foods I eat or drink. My body is very good at incorporating the substances that it finds useful and ignoring (or killing) the ones that it doesn't, so I don't find myself worrying too much about any particular substance it might take up. To your point, I don't have any partic…

It’s the route into your bloodstream through the lungs that really worries me.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#55

Post by MengerSponge »

ars wrote: post #50
DANmode wrote: post #28

Plastic is made of oils. Oils degrade and/or dissolve with heat.

Plastic is not an oil, not to mention you can make plastic from air and nothing else (other than energy). (You can make plastic from CO2 and Water.) Plastics are polymers, oils are not. Oils have specific chain lengths, polymers have no specific length. Both are hydrocarbons, but almost everything we interact with is, so that's not saying much. Saying something degrades with heat means very little - everything degrad…

Umm actually, iron-56 doesn't degrade with any amount of heat ;)

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#56

Post by balaji1 »

Aurornis wrote: post #35

> Rather than introduce just the number of particles released by one container, the researchers instead exposed the cells to particle concentrations that infants and toddlers might accumulate over days or from multiple sources. > After two days, just 23% of kidney cells exposed to the highest concentrations had managed to survive So they used concentrations that they believe toddlers might accumulate over two days an…

> we’re not seeing toddlers around the world have kidney problems

is it possible that then we don't fully understand the resilience of the human body? It is certainly possible, when the article can state that:

> the health effects of consuming micro- and nanoplastics remain unclear

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#57

Post by Auracle »

Pxtl wrote: post #29
esafak wrote: post #8

Oof how bad. Can they study dishwashing plastics next? Good thing I used glass. I think parents these days are rather more aware of plastic leaching than those of the previous generation.

The worry with glass is that it's dangerous if it breaks. I find stainless steel Bento boxes are excellent if it's not something that needs a tight seal.

Of course, with steel there's always the slight chance of lead.

It's been found in at least 2 different manufacturer's cups that were specifically made for children.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#58

Post by throwaway290 »

justinclift wrote: post #26
PlunderBunny wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're all part of a giant experiment. It's a bad experiment too, in the sense that it doesn't really have a proper control group.

The control group: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinelese

Don't think so. This is nanoplastics we're talking about. Even microplastics are found everywhere (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/microplas...). stuff spreads well through water air precipitation foodchain etc.

Remember how they they could not find a control group for PFAS anywhere on the planet, I'm sure this is true for all common pollutants.

Edit: OK, I replaced the link to the article about Everest with a link to the article about all the other places.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#59

Post by Solvency »

dumpster_fire wrote: post #18
n8cpdx wrote: post #4

> then heated them at full power for three minutes in a 1,000-watt microwave This seems like unrealistic use of a microwave. The liquids are likely boiling for well over a minute. Are people really boiling liquids in the containers they’re serving their infant children? I’m not especially plastic-phobic but I also don’t think a reasonable person would think it is a good idea to boil liquids in their children’s bottle…

https://blog.mambaby.co.uk/feeding/how-to-self-sterilise-the... Popular milk bottle brand instructing users how to sterilize their product with the microwave. Boiling milk bottles is a very common way of sterilization as well.

That's fucked up, for real.

Re: Study finds billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving containers

#60

Post by karakot »

esafak wrote: post #9
pkdpic wrote: post #3

> Experiments have shown that microwaving plastic baby food containers available on the shelves of U.S. stores can release huge numbers of plastic particles — in some cases, more than 2 billion nanoplastics and 4 million microplastics for every square centimeter of container. > After two days, just 23% of kidney cells exposed to the highest concentrations had managed to survive — a much higher mortality rate than tha…

I had the same thought so I bought thin silicone bags from Platinum Pure, on the assumption that silicone withstands much higher temperatures and leaches less. The only drawback is that the bags are not airtight.

it still contains plastic, right? I wonder what are the proportions though.
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