Today I watched a coworker pull out a burrito wrapped in saran wrap from his lunch bag. He then proceeded to poke holes in it with a fork, sort of like you would do with a potato before you nuke it. Then he proceeded to microwave the burrito, still wrapped in the saran wrap! Blahyuk! Later the same day I watched another coworker nuke his leftover Mexican food in a Styrofoam take-away container. For good measure he also left the whole thing in a plastic grocery bag while heating it. Talk about double exposure!
There are basically two sides to the microwave debate. One side says dioxins, toxins, and all sorts of other things are released from plastics and styrofoams when heated in the microwave. This same principle applies to things such as hot coffee poured into a Styrofoam cup. While some of this might be overstated I tend to agree with this camp. Basic common sense tells you that food and artificially manufactured materials like styrofoam and plastic wrap should not be heated with your food. Something is bound to be released or melted into your food, even if you can’t see or taste it. Keep in mind that these products are not biodegradable, which is a good reason to avoid using them altogether. Aside from that imagine if they get into your body through cooking. It only makes sense that your body can not naturally dispose of them or break them down either.
The other side says as long as the container or covering (as in saran wrap) doesn’t melt then its ok. Additionally they say if the government (FDA) deems it “microwave safe” then go ahead and nuke it to the max. Well that’s just groovy. We can always count on the government to have the best intentions and completely ignore special interest groups and lobbyist that might otherwise persuade them to give consumers misleading information. Yeah right. Without getting too political here I think I can safely say that one should never “misunderestimate” the government to be more than one step behind when it comes to important and accurate information on health and technology. That is not even taking into consideration the politics of what is released, blocked, or covered up by the government. Just in case you are interested in what the USDA has to say on this matter you can visit this USDA site. They do at least recommend that plastic wrap used in the microwave should never come in contact with food, and containers such as butter bowls and plastic bags should never be microwaved in order to prevent harmful chemicals from getting into your food. So basically they are saying it is kind of safe. But if it is only kind of safe then why use these products at all?
Personally I think that if you are going to heat your food in a plastic bowl at the least make sure that it is deemed microwave safe. If at all possible just put your food in a solid container like ceramic or microwave safe glass. I have started using microwave safe glass containers purchased at The Container Store and Crate and Barrel which come in similar shapes and sizes as most Tupperware. They have removable plastic lids to keep your food fresh and sealed but you obviously remove those before heating. I’d also suggest using a lunch cooler everyday instead of lunch bags, along with a reusable stainless steel cup for drinking water, tea, or coffee. This will help keep a lot of non-biodegradable packaging junk out of the landfills, and carcinogens out of your food and drink.
