Microwave safety tip, no plastic! -

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I dunno how true this is, but it sounds reasonable.

University of California
Davis Medical Center
2315 Stockton Boulevard
Sacramento, California 95817

Plastic Wrap Toxins. Author/s: Jule Klotter Issue: Jan, 2001

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As a seventh grade student, Claire Nelson learned that di(ethylhexyl)adepate (DEHA), considered a carcinogen, is found in plastic wrap. She also learned that the FDA had never studied the effect of microwave cooking on plastic-wrapped food. Claire began to wonder: "Can cancer-causing particles seep into food covered with household plastic wrap while it is being microwaved?"

Three years later, with encouragement from her high school science teacher, Claire set out to test what the FDA had not. Although she had an idea for studying the effect of microwave radiation on plastic-wrapped food, she did not have the equipment.

Eventually, Jon Wilkes at the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas, agreed to help her. The research center, which is affiliated with the FDA, let her use its facilities to perform her experiments, which involved micro waving plastic wrap in virgin olive oil.

Claire tested four different plastic wraps and "found not just the carcinogens but also xenoestrogen was migrating [into the oil]...."

Xenoestrogens are linked to low sperm counts in men and to breast cancer in women.

Throughout her junior and senior years, Claire made a couple of trips each week to the research center, which was 25 miles from her home, to work on her experiment. An article in Options reported that "her analysis found that DEHA was migrating into the oil at between 200 parts and 500 parts per million.

The FDA standard is 0.05 parts per billion." Her summarized results have been published in science journals. Claire Nelson received the American Chemical Society's top science prize for students during her junior year and fourth place at the International Science and Engineering Fair (Fort Worth, Texas) as a senior.

"Carcinogens-At 10,000,000 Times FDA Limits" Options May 2000. Published by People Against Cancer, 515-972-4444 On Channel 2 (Huntsville, AL) this morning they had a Dr. Edward Fujimoto from Castle Hospital on the program.

He is the manager of the Wellness Program at the hospital. He was talking about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxins into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Dioxins are carcinogens and highly toxic to the cells of our bodies.

Instead, he recommends using glass, Corning Ware, or ceramic containers for heating food.

You get the same results without the dioxins. So such things as TV dinners,instant saimin and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper.

Just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He said we might remember when some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

To add to this: Saran wrap placed over foods as they are nuked, with the high heat, actually drips poisonous toxins into the food. Use paper towel instead.

[The thing that gets me about this is, why mention that the lab is 25 miles from her home?]

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002

Answers

NOW you tell me! I always use glass to cook micro foods but use plastic wrap to stop splatters. Okay, okay, I'll use those glass plates I have to cover food in the future.

About the 25 miles--maybe the editor cut something out, in that the kid is about 13 years old--maybe she had to get there and back on the bus or something and that bit of info was cut.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002


We used the plastic to cover stuff, too. No more.

Now we can use those nice Corning dishes I've had for years. They're like little stove top pans with handles, and glass tops.

Nice to see you again Git. I thought maybe you had painted yourself into a corner or something.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002


I wonder about that new Glad Food Storage dish product. Has that been tested? I see the commercials on every channel.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002

I've bin busy looking for a moving co. for Sweetie and taking care of other related and unrelated chores. I'll write a bit more on the saga shortly.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002

I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002


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