When food or beverages are heated in plastic containers such as in a microwave oven, chemical additives from inside the plastic migrate into the food and tiny flecks of plastic known as micro- and nanoplastics are also shed into the food. Both of these can present health risks. ‘Microwave safe’ containers will not melt when heated in the microwave, but they still slough off plastic particles and leech chemicals into the food. The danger is also present in hot food or beverages that are dispensed into plastic containers such as hot coffee in paper cups (which are lined with clear plastic) or hot takeout food.
Even at room temperature, many of the chemicals in plastics migrate into food. Micro- and nanoplastics also shed from plastic packaging into food at room temperature but the process of chemical migration and the shedding of microplastics both speed up when plastic is heated.
Read the factsheet by Beyond Plastics to learn why this heat and plastics are a dangerous combination.
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