Comment by macrolime
How relevant is this for plastic food packaging?
How relevant is this for plastic food packaging?
I'd like to see a study of the dosage from heating food in plastic containers vs the risks from storing food in plastic for days or weeks while in the supermarket, or transporting water for food making in plastic pipes, or growing crops for human consumption in phthalate contaminated land, or eating food from cans lined with phthalates etc.
There are so many potential sources, and it doesn't really make any sense to put effort into something that isn't a substantial source.
Contact is enough to leech into food, though some are easier to leach into than others. Heat, time, acidity, fattiness increase rate of absorption. https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5116541/chemicals-from-...
I think since it eventually reaches ground water so everyone's water supply is at risk, we might consider that eliminating usage in one use packaging that is never recycled is better than thinking about individual use cases.
Vast majority of food packaging is plastics like PP and PE that don't use phthalates (or any other plasticiser) as they are naturally... plastic. PVC (soft) is the major application of plasticisers.
Hard PVC pipe does not contain plasticiser: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pipework#uPVC_(unplast...
> Typically, plasticizers are not chemically bound to the polymer, but can leak out over time and thus can affect humans and other organisms.
I wouldn't risk heating food with any kind of plastic.