Are plastic containers/ Tupperware unsafe?

Question

I have heard from many people that plastic containers give off chemicals when heated, which in turn are eaten when you eat leftovers heated up in them. I bought stoneware and glassware (Corningware and Pyrex) today to replace my plastic containers. Am I doing the right thing??

Answer 1

No, there is no danger in heating up plastic containers.

I hear a lot of silly comments about many different things also.

h**l, I know a few people who still believe that microwave ovens are dangerous!

Edit:

Sorry Jonboy, but it seems to me that although you may have a  basic concept of some plastics, you seem to have no concept as to the amount of potential leaching of materials which may occur by simple heating, or the damage that a few released molecules could possibly have on any living being.

Obviously if the material melts, it was not being used properly.

Even if it did it would not cause any health risk.

It would mean that the container would no longer be usable for it's originally intended purpose!

Answer 2

Used in the microwave, they give off no chemicals, however if you use them in the oven, they will melt and give off toxic smell that will linger for a few days. What you have done in replacing them with what you got is the best thing.

Answer 3

Plastic is one of the most persistent of all materials because it doesn't break down properly in the land fills taking they say hundreds of years to decompose and some types never do or at least plastic hasn't been around long enough to witness it. In fact there is a dead zone in the pacific where the tides don't move all that much and a collection of plastic is out there the size of a small state where animals like gulls and fish are eating this trash and dying with their stomachs full of coffee stir sticks and plastic can holders from six packs of beverages after fishermen cut them open.

If your looking for safe cookware stick with ceramic, stainless, Iron, or heat treated glass. NO TEFLON OR ALUMINUM! and once a Teflon pan breaks its seal or cracks it can be eaten in your food making you sick. Aluminum is being linked to Alzheimer's because aluminum can pass the blood brain barrier like mercury does making you mentally ill by disrupting the firing of neurons in your brain.

Plastic that have a number 3 in the little triangle on the bottom of the bowl or whatever should be avoided because of the toxic formaldehyde gas released when heated. For instance Wally world was selling shower curtains with this number 3 plastic and it can toxify you with formaldehyde while you breath during your hot shower.

Some older Tupperware products were inferior and broke down under long usage making them unsafe so they should be disposed of properly.

Do not cook with any plastics in a microwave in fact just get rid of that unhealthy way to cook altogether because it heats your food in a way your body can't recognize it any more making it unable for you to digest the food properly and eventually will cause serious illness over long periods of usage. That is a proven fact!

I do have a degree in applied sciences and electronics,

But don't believe me just google your own answers and find out the ugly truth about how all microwave technology including your cell phones are slowly killing you..

Answer 4

They are sometimes marked microwave safe but i`ve melted one when I misjudged the settings.Use stoneware now to be on the safe side.

Answer 5

It is hard to get a straight and honest answer about this because there is so much money/industry/lobbying riding on the use of plastics and microwaves.

Better safe than sorry, right? I did the same thing and got pyrex when the studies started coming out. Why take avoidable risks? I believe they are also saying that all of this plastics chemical release may have something to do with  reproductive problems that have plagued our recent history...

Mivrowaves are convenient, but I'm with John B, avoid whenever possible.

Answer 6

I think it really depends on the type of plastic found in the tupperware.  To be safe I replaced my plastic water bottles with stainless steel.  I think you did a great thing by getting rid of the tupperware.

Answer 7

Depending on the plastic, it may contain varying amounts of plasticizer, a chemical used to soften the plastic.  These chemicals are endocrine disruptors, act like hormones, etc.  Cliffy doesn't have a clue.  Heating in plastics is asking for trouble.  I'd go pyrex.  Whether it melts or not, putting hot food in plastic can cause the plasticizer to leach from the container to the food.