The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
I have received several e-mails on the topic of whether or not it is safe to use plastics in the microwave. Apparently a very resourceful science student in the United States decided to test plastic wrap used in the microwave to see if the heat would have any undesirable effects and get into the food being heated. She had discovered diethylhexyladepate, which is considered a carcinogen (causes cancer), can be found in plastic. After some urging from her teachers and a few years after she began the experiment, the National Centre for Toxicological Research became interested and decided to let her use their facilities to perform her experiments, involving micro waving plastic wrap in virgin olive oil. The student tested four different types of plastic wrap and discovered that not only carcinogens but also xenoestrogen was migrating into the oil. Xenoestrogens are linked to low sperm counts in men and breast cancer in women. Apparently, according to the Food and Drug Association (FDA), they found that the amounts migrating into the oil were far above acceptable limits. To make a long story short, this student went on to receive several awards and a Dr. Edward Fuijmoto from Castle Hospital came on board and went so far as to say that people should not be using any plastic containers to microwave food especially if there is any fat in the foods. Even paper apparently is questionable because you don't know what is in the paper, especially after it has been recycled. The best container to use according to the people in the "know" is tempered glass. Even most fast food restaurants have apparently gotten away from using foam containers. However, since I certainly am not the person to say one way or another what you should or should not use, here are some web sites you can check for your own personal use. http://www.he-se.ca/english/iyh/products/cookware.html. or http://www.inspection.ge.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/microe.shtml Good Luck and thank you to the people who send me these interesting e-mails!
