Which plastics break down in the dishwasher? Where can I learn more?

Question

I want to get a better understanding about how plastics break down in teh dishwasher and which ones are dangerous to put into the dishwasher. Is bisphenol the only chemical that I need to avoid in plastics, or are there other chemicals that can leach into our food, too? I've done lots of searching online, but I can't find anything other than the chemicals used in each recycling code formula.

Does anyone know anything about this?

Answer 1

From Rolf Halden, PhD, PE, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and the Center for Water and Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Whenever food comes in contact with materials that are not inert there is a chance of chemical transfer and contamination. We are primarily concerned about plasticizers such as the various phthalates, acetyltributylcitrate and dioctyladipate, all of which are added to plastics to make the products flexible and less brittle. The concern is that if you heat up plastic food containers, utensils or plastic wrap, some of these chemicals could be released into food or beverage.

Question: How much of these chemicals get into our food and is it harmful?

Answer: That’s a difficult question and the best answer I can give is: it depends. Several European studies found that many plasticizers migrated from plastic containers and wraps into foods as they were heated in microwave ovens. Some of the chemicals were absorbed in high quantities (several hundreds of milligrams per kilogram food). The amount of chemical absorbed by the food depended on the temperature of the container and food, the duration of the heating, the type of plastic used and its initial plasticizer content, as well as the type of food being heated. As a general rule, the fattier the food, the more of the chemicals potentially can be absorbed and retained by it. More research should be done in this area.

Question: What is the risk from exposure to these chemicals?

Answer: For example, phthalates are environmental contaminants that can exhibit hormone-like behavior by acting as endocrine disruptors in humans and animals. These “synthetic hormones” may pose a special risk to susceptible populations such as children, who are more vulnerable because they are still developing. But again, it’s not clear how much exposure to these chemicals is occurring. Potential adverse heath outcomes also are dependent on a person’s individual susceptibility.