Neus Fabregat Cabello, doctoral candidate at the UJI’s University Institute of Pesticides and Water (IUPA) analyzes in his article “Reserved area for carmanyoles” the dangers of heating and storing food and drinks in lunch boxes and plastic bottles.
The article, in which he explains that “There are no dangerous plastics, there are only plastics used incorrectly” has earned him the 2013 Valencian Literary Prize for Scientific and Technological Divulgation convened by the Higher School of Technology and Experimental Sciences (ESTCE) of the Universitat Jaume I.
The doctoral student explains the importance of knowing the type of plastic with which each container is made, information displayed on the base of the containers with a number from 1 to 7 surrounded by three arrows forming a triangle. Although it is always more advisable to preserve and, especially, heat, food in glass containers In case of using plastic, the safest for heating, for example, in a microwave They are type 2, 4 and 5.“The safest plastic containers to heat are types 2, 4 and 5.”
On the contrary, he adds that “you have to avoid as much as possible the containers that have the 7th printed on themsince this digit refers to the group of other plastics, which can release bisphenol A, a substance that has been shown to cause, among other effects, sterility, decreased production of testosterone and even prostate cancer“.
Contamination of food by what is called “migration” of plastic compounds It depends, in addition to the composition of the container, the contact time between the food and the container, the type of food and the storage temperature.
Regarding the latter, the author warns that “taking into account that temperature is a critical factor in migration, it is essential know if the plastic of our lunch box is suitable or not to be heated and never heat with the lid on as the composition of the lid is usually different from that of the rest of the container”. “Never heat with the lid on”
Fabregat also warns that it is not advisable to reuse plastic bottles marked with the digit 1, since after several uses they can release harmful compounds.