# PSA: don't microwave plastics
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 1, 2023, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902 "2023-08-01T07:37:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/1 "2023-08-01T07:37:34Z")
New report says that microwaving plastics release zillions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles:
> **[For the Love of God, Stop Microwaving Plastic](https://www.wired.com/story/for-the-love-of-god-stop-microwaving-plastic/)**
>
> A study of baby-food containers shows that microwaving plastic releases millions upon millions of polymer bits.
Discourse, for once, gives previous threads that were actually relevant to this topic. There were several from way back in the early days about how plastic in microwaves may be producing dioxins. One example:
> [@Plastic food containers in microwave = cancer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-food-containers-in-microwave-cancer/108774/):
>
> Got this in the mail today: Ok, this sounds like pure urban legend, and usually I just reply with the appropriate link to Snopes, but I checked and they list it as Undetermined…which is pretty scary, considering how skeptical they are!! So, what’s the straight dope on this?
Anyway, the bottom line is: don’t microwave food in plastic containers!
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/2 "2023-08-01T12:49:09Z")
If you read the article, it goes on to say we probably shouldn’t be putting food in plastic containers at all. Microwaving them certainly makes it worse, but the problem isn’t the “microwave” part. It’s the “plastic” part.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/3 "2023-08-01T18:08:41Z")
What substance are they talking about? “Plastic” isn’t a substance. It’s a broad category of a great many different substances, with a similar variety of chemical and physical properties. Any study that just talks about “plastic” is completely useless.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/4 "2023-08-01T18:11:46Z")
Pretty sure they mean all plastics.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/5 "2023-08-01T18:40:25Z")
I read that a few days ago. There’s a certain amount of science behind it, but also some politics.
The whole point is simply that artificial long-chain hydrocarbon polymers are unlikely to be biologically inert, and especially not down at nano-particle sizes. And we’re flooding the planet, and us, and all other living critters, with them.
The study cited by the article goes into some detail about what they’re talking about.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/6 "2023-08-01T21:11:27Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PSxihhBzCjk/hqdefault.jpg "The Graduate "One Word: Plastics"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxihhBzCjk)
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/7 "2023-08-03T13:26:17Z")
So I’m no big fan of plastics per se but boy, the potential risks seem to have a level of evidence behind them that makes the artificial sweeteners data look strong.
To the degree these particles do end up to be significant health risks … and they may or may not be … I am not so clear how much more potential risk is posed by reheating the leftovers over storing them in the containers in the first place. Bottled water seems like a big possible source too, especially as they may have transported in hot trucks and stored in hot warehouses.
Understood better to use refillable non plastic water bottles, to store in glass or ceramic containers, and reheat in the metal pan on a not gas stove. Less landfill less emissions beyond health risk.
But from this hard to know where to place this possible risk on the scale.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/8 "2023-08-03T15:38:15Z")
So a more comprehensive article about what is and is not known to date. Emphasis though on how all pervasive exposure is - air water in our foods …
> **[Microplastics are in our bodies. Here's why we don't know the health risks](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-human-bodies-health-risks)**
>
> Researchers are racing to try to understand how much humans are exposed and what levels are toxic.
> [@](#):
>
> Alongside knowing people’s level of exposure to microplastics, the second big question scientists want to understand is what if any level of real-world exposure is harmful. “This work is confounded by the multitude of different plastic particle types, given their variations in size, shape and chemical composition, which can affect uptake and toxicity,” Leslie says. “In the case of microplastics, it will take several more years to determine what the threshold dose for toxicity is.” …
>
> … Perhaps the biggest thing people can do is rely on plastics less. Reducing overall consumption will reduce plastic pollution, and so reduce microplastics sloughing into the air and water.
>
> Leslie recommends functional substitution: “Before you purchase something, think if you really need it, and if it needs to be plastic.” …
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/9 "2023-08-03T16:24:04Z")
I will reheat in plastic containers because I’m lazy. My gf gets upset at me for doing this, so I do it only when she isn’t around.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/10 "2023-08-03T17:09:12Z")
I’ve always been concerned about plastic in the microwave.
But I worry about, really too much. Mid-dau is always saying “it says it’s microwave safe”
Is anything really safe?
Should we even have microwaves in the home?
What about bleach?
And all those cel phone emissions boring into my brain!
Aaaccckkk!
Excuse me, I’ll be in the closet chewing my cuticles.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/11 "2023-08-03T17:27:14Z")
From the abstract, because I don’t have access to the full report,
> Exposure modeling results suggested that the highest estimated daily intake was 20.3 ng/kg·day for infants drinking microwaved water and 22.1 ng/kg·day for toddlers consuming microwaved dairy products from polypropylene containers. 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.
Why test at a 1000 μg/mL concentration, which is over 4,000 times the highest estimated daily exposure?
~Max
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/12 "2023-08-03T17:32:52Z")
I assume all the frozen meals have been pulled from the grocery shelves already, then?
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/13 "2023-08-03T19:21:23Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#):
>
> Excuse me, I’ll be in the closet chewing my cuticles.
Be sure to wash your hands first with distilled water. You never know where those darn cuticles have been or what gunk is adhering to them. 😁
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/14 "2023-08-03T22:19:32Z")
Don’t worry I’ve fitted out my hidey-hole with hand sanitizer and alcohol swabs.
Just in case, you know?
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-dont-microwave-plastics/987902/15 "2023-08-04T02:06:50Z")
One: you can’t translate a dose per kg/day to amount per ml easily.
But beyond that higher concentrations to kidney actually has some logic albeit I don’t know about the exact multiple: the kidney filters and concentrates, exposing kidney cells to much higher concentrations than serum levels, especially over time if they accumulate, as seems to be the case.
Again there are _plenty_ of decent reasons for us to all limit our purchase and use of plastic products, in ways that do not cause undue burden. Avoiding heating in plastic containers is not a big deal thing. Maybe I’ll try to do better and certainly would do better if feeding a pregnant women or a young child.
On balance is it better for the world to get baby food in glass or plastic based containers? I dunno.
But right now the risk of micro plastics at typical exposures is unknown and unproven. Even if “probable” is a fair descriptor. On the list of items that make me assume fetal position it is pretty low.