An expert says it’s better to opt for glass containers over plastic to store Thanksgiving leftovers – especially if you plan on microwaving them.
A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska says microwaving plastic containers releases billions of microplastics that then can leach into your food.
That study says “an individual consuming an American diet can ingest between 39,000 and 52,000 pieces of microplastics from food and beverages each year.”
Plastic contains chemicals called “plasticizers” that can cause health concerns such as behavioral changes and obesity.
“Some of these chemicals are known as endocrine disrupting chemicals, so they act like the hormone estrogen, and when you're exposed to them, you can have several adverse health outcomes,” said Jennifer Freeman, a professor of toxicology in the school of health sciences at Purdue University. “So they're related to things such as increased risk for behavioral changes, increased risk for obesity and other adverse health outcomes.”
Microplastics are plastic particles ranging from 5 millimeter to 1 nanometer wide. They can be found in everything from food containers, to water bottles, cosmetics and seafood.
“When you heat your food in in the microwave, the concern is that these plasticizers will leach out of the plastics and get into your food and so that you would be consuming those chemicals then within your foods,” Freeman said. “The other concern that is related to microwaving plastics is that some of the plastics will break down when you're heating them, they'll form particles called micro plastics. And if you consume these micro plastics, your body might mount an immune response to those particles.”
Freeman said “microwave safe” containers are less likely to melt in the microwave – but they still contain plasticizers.
Research on animals shows ingesting microplastics can cause health concerns such as organ dysfunction, immune disorders, and decreased fertility.
Freeman said choosing glass containers over plastic is a safer option to avoid these plastics and chemicals. But if using plastic, she said, certain kinds can help reduce exposure.
“If you're choosing your plastics and you want to choose those that are known to be a little more sturdy and a little more safe, so those would be your plastics that are number two and five. Those are going to have a little bit more of a lifespan to them and help reduce your risk of them breaking down,” Freeman said. “But even those plastics, over time, are going to break down. So you just want to be really mindful of looking at the wear and tear on your plastics to see if there's any sort of wear that is on them, so that you can help to reduce your risk of being exposed to those microplastics.”
