The "plastic bags" of vegetables put into the refrigerator, not only toxic but also carcinogenic?

type

status

date

slug

summary

One, the plastic bags containing vegetables put into the refrigerator, will produce carcinogens?

Rumor has it that plastic bags contain plasticizers, and that putting them directly into the refrigerator will allow the substance to adhere to the food, which may cause cancer after consumption.

First of all, plasticizers, also known as plasticizers, are allowed to be used in food packaging materials because they make plastic bags more flexible and malleable. More applications are "phthalates (DEHP)", China's national standards on the use of plasticizers, residues and migration have strict regulations: DEHP from packaging materials to food migration should not exceed 1.5mg/kg, the standard is consistent with developed countries.

There is also insufficient evidence that plasticizers are carcinogenic, and its safety concerns are mainly endocrine disruption and impact on reproductive development.

Second, not all plastic bags use plasticizers. Plastic bags can generally be divided into 1-7 different categories, common in supermarkets for No. 2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE), No. 4 low-density polyethylene material (LDPE), relatively speaking, the No. 2 material is more common. The No. 2 and No. 4 plastic certificates do not require the use of plasticizers, and naturally there is no plasticizer migration problem.

A reporter from China Business News once did an experiment where he bought several vegetables in plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator for a week, then took them out and sent them to the lab for testing, and the results showed that no plasticizers were detected in any of the vegetables.

If you are really worried, it is recommended to choose plastic bags made by regular manufacturers, and it is not recommended to use plastic products for high-fat foods, which may lead to more plasticizer precipitation.

2. Is using plastic bags for hot food harmful to the human body?

Since vegetables in plastic bags in the refrigerator will not produce harmful substances, if it is used for hot food, such as buying hot buns for breakfast put into plastic bags will not let the plastic bags dissolve and harmful to the body?

There are two types of plastic bags commonly used in the market today: polyethylene plastic bags and polyvinyl chloride plastic bags. Polyethylene plastic bags is what we call food-grade plastic bags, its structure is very stable, oil-resistant temperature can reach 130-140 ℃, while the food temperature is generally in the 60-80 ℃, even if the food just out of the pot temperature is about 60 ℃, will not lead to the melting of plastic bags, will not easily occur chemical reaction. So don't worry about using this plastic bag for hot food.

But the same cannot be said for PVC plastic bags, which contain certain plasticizers and are only heat resistant to 60-80 degrees Celsius, so if they are used for hot food, there is a chance that they will decompose and seep into the food. So be careful.

It is recommended that you choose colorless and transparent food-grade plastic bags for hot food on a daily basis, and colorful plastic bags are not recommended.

Three, the human body eats 5 grams of "microplastics" per week, and these bad habits are best changed

Microplastics are plastic fibers, particles or films with a diameter of <5mm, and some microplastics may be micrometers and nanometers in diameter. Microplastics can be pervasive in our lives. Air, fresh water, seafood and even Arctic ice are all contaminated with microplastics. Many animals can accidentally ingest microplastics, and microplastics in animals can travel down the food chain and eventually come to the human body.

Professor Kieran D. Cox and his team in Canada have done research in which they estimated how many microplastic particles each person ingests each year based on the American diet. It turns out that, counting the microplastics floating in the air and breathed in, each person eats between 74,000 and 121,000 microplastic particles per year. This translates into about 5g of microplastics per person per week.

There are also studies that have tested for the presence of microplastics in human blood. In animal studies, microplastics have been found to disrupt the body's endocrine environment, induce birth defects, reduce sperm production, and induce insulin resistance, among other things.

These bad habits in life can increase the intake of microplastics in the body.

The stability period of mineral water bottles is generally 10 months, and plastic bottles that are used repeatedly for more than this time may release harmful substances, and repeatedly used plastic bottles will produce scratches, and more scratches are also easy to harbor and breed bacteria, which can easily threaten health after use.

It is also not recommended to use plastic bottles for oil, soy sauce, vinegar, etc., or for pickled foods. Because most plastic bottles are made of No. 1 PET, a material that degrades in strong acidic and alkaline environments, long-term loading of vinegar, soy sauce and other substances may leach harmful substances out of the plastic.

Plastic bags in supermarkets are mostly made of PE, a material that is not heat resistant and can be used for food at room temperature under emergency. But it is not recommended to use it for a long time to contain food, especially long-term contact with food with high grease content, it is easy to let the plastic bag dissolve, but also may allow the precipitation of harmful substances inside, people may be a threat to health after consumption. The sealing effect of these plastic bags is not good, and it is easy for bacteria to take advantage of.

The process of heating food in plastic bags can easily allow some harmful substances inside the plastic to precipitate out, which can dissolve into the grease inside the food and pose a health risk. In addition to the plastic bag, it is also not recommended to put the packing box directly into the microwave oven for heating. Disposable lunch boxes are generally not high in safety standards, and putting them into the microwave oven for heating may cause harmful substances to precipitate.

4. How to eat less plastic?

There is no doubt that the long-term intake of large amounts of plastic is harmful to health, but it is difficult to completely avoid it in life, but we can only try to reduce the amount of intake, it is important to do these three points.

1. Separate the plastic categories

Different numbers represent different plastic materials and applicability, so pay attention to the distinction when using plastic bags on a daily basis.

2. Look at the instructions for use

Plastic products generally have instructions for use on them, so pay attention to the fine details of each article, such as the temperature of use of plastic products and whether they can be put into the refrigerator, microwave oven, etc.

3. Use less plastic products

Of course, it is still important to reduce the use of plastic products as much as possible on a daily basis, and it is best to bring your own shopping bags or cloth bags when you go out shopping, and use more glass containers and porcelain to hold your food.

Plastic provides great convenience to our life, but it is also threatening the ecological environment and human health. For the sake of environmental protection, it is recommended to use less plastic products and use cloth bags and glass products instead. For your own sake and for the sake of the environment we depend on.