Is the plastic packed lunch box poisonous? With the acceleration of social life, people are becoming more and more accustomed to ordering takeout. Every time they eat in the canteen or order takeout, most of them use plastic lunch boxes. Some people say that long-term use of plastic lunch boxes is harmful to human health. Let's take a concrete look at whether the plastic packed lunch box is poisonous.
Is the plastic packed lunch box poisonous? 1 1. Harm of plastic lunch boxes
1. Many so-called environmentally-friendly plastic tableware use industrial-grade plastic raw materials and waste plastics instead of food-grade raw materials in production. These plastic tableware give off a pungent smell after being scalded with boiling water.
2. At the same time, they add industrial paraffin and talcum powder at will in production, which is prone to calcium carbonate exceeding the standard and containing harmful substances such as heavy metals such as lead and chromium.
3. If people eat industrial calcium carbonate, they are prone to gallstones and kidney calculi, especially the heavy metal lead contained in it, which is harmful to the digestive tract and nervous system. What's more, many seemingly brightly colored plastic tableware can be dissolved with water, vinegar and oil contained in food. After food enters the human body, it may cause indigestion, local pain and liver system diseases, affect children's intellectual development, and even lead to gallstones, heavy metal poisoning and even cell canceration.
4. The reporter learned from the relevant departments that in early August this year, the relevant personnel of the municipal supervision department made an unannounced visit to a plastic tableware packaging and distribution processing point in Zhaogezhuang, jiayue Town as franchisees.
According to the supervisor, most of these plastic tableware are made from recycled plastic. Because they are light and fall-resistant, manufacturers directly throw these tableware on container trucks with shovels and other instruments, and then put them into various sacks at will, and transport them to packaging and distribution processing points through logistics, which has caused the first pollution in transit.
Second, the harm of long-term use of plastic lunch boxes
1, the food you can't finish is packed and put in a disposable plastic lunch box, and the food you can't finish in class is also put in a disposable plastic lunch box to take away-when you eat this kind of lunch box, have you ever thought that you might swallow it yourself?
Recently, the reporter bought several common disposable plastic lunch boxes from the market for experiments, and found that some lunch boxes melted instantly after meeting ethyl acetate.
3. Chemical experts pointed out that all cooking wine and vinegar are ethyl acetate. After being put into disposable plastic lunch boxes, the plastic of lunch boxes is likely to migrate into food and be swallowed by human bodies.
4. In daily cooking, the amount of cooking wine and vinegar is not much, and the concentration of ethyl acetate produced is limited, which will not dissolve the plastic lunch box as obviously and violently as pure ethyl acetate solvent, but if the lunch box can be dissolved in ethyl acetate, it will definitely not meet the use standard of the lunch box.
According to the supervisor, most of these plastic tableware are made from recycled plastic. Because of its portability and anti-falling, manufacturers directly throw these prepared tableware into container trucks with shovels and other instruments, and then put them into various sacks at will, and transport them to packaging and distribution processing points through logistics, which has caused the first pollution on the way.
Third, the harm of plastic lunch boxes to the environment
1, foreign research results show that if the polymerization of polystyrene polymer is incomplete in the synthesis process, styrene monomer, dimer and trimer will dissolve out, which is also very harmful to health when used for packaging food.
2. Especially when it is used for hot food, the harmful substances inside will be sucked out and condensed on the food. When people eat such food, not only the liver and kidney will be damaged, but also their functions will be mutated. Foam plastics have been scientifically proved to be one of the most harmful plastics to health.
3. These disposable foamed plastic tableware will produce toxins and carcinogens dioxin which are harmful to human body at the high temperature above 65 degrees Celsius. "Dioxin" is a toxic chlorine-containing compound, which is the most toxic in the known toxic compounds in the world at present. It is highly carcinogenic and can cause serious skin diseases and harm to the fetus, and may also lead to feminization of men.
4. The direct and indirect treatment cost of one ton of disposable foam plastic waste is more than 10 times of its original output value. Therefore, these "white pollution" not only increased the unwarranted economic pressure on the country and people, but also left many problems for future generations. Moreover, freon is used as foaming agent in the production of foamed lunch boxes, and the main raw material is polystyrene.
As we all know, Freon is a substance that consumes the ozone layer and causes ozone hole in the atmosphere. And polystyrene is a carcinogen, which will cause reproductive dysfunction.
Fourth, reduce the harm of plastic lunch boxes.
1. In addition, because disposable plastic tableware is difficult to degrade, many cities are now promoting the use of green tableware-paper tableware. The principle is that cellulose, the component of paper products, can be degraded by microorganisms.
However, it is unwise to use paper tableware instead of foamed plastic tableware. First of all, paper tableware will also bring visual pollution. Their degradation speed is not fast, and they will not be completely degraded for dozens of days or even months. Secondly, when making paper tableware, in addition to straw pulp and rice pulp, wood pulp of about 1/3 should be added. If fully promoted, it will inevitably lead to a large amount of wood consumption, leading to
3. The forest coverage rate in China is only 13.92%, and the per capita forest area is only 17.2% of the world average. Thirdly, pulping has always been a big consumer of water, energy and sewage. The pulping process needs a lot of water, and China is a country short of water.
4. If untreated sewage is directly discharged into rivers, it will cause water pollution; Paper tableware needs to be dried immediately after forming, which consumes a lot of energy. China's energy structure is dominated by burning coal, which will increase the content of SO2 in the air and cause acid rain.
Is the plastic packed lunch box poisonous? Regular plastic products are safe. Give everyone a reassurance first:
As long as it is a regular and qualified plastic product, it can be used with confidence. After careful study, if you want to use it, you must first understand the classification of plastic products. Turn the plastic container you usually use upside down, and you will find the following icons on the bottom or side of most containers.
1 and 6: poor heat resistance. Don't put too hot food, let alone heat it directly, and don't use it repeatedly.
No.3: Plastic for general plastic pipes.
No.4: It can withstand the high temperature of about 90℃ and be well isolated from water. It is safe to pack food.
No.5: It can withstand the high temperature of about 200℃ and can be heated by microwave oven. Repeated heating will not be a problem.
No.7: Raw materials for most baby bottles.
Can an empty beverage bottle contain condiments?
Yes, but not recommended. There are some fat-soluble small molecules in plastic 1. If used in daily cooking oil, some substances will penetrate into vegetable oil. Regular plastic products may dissolve less substances, so it is not impossible to put oil, vinegar and soy sauce, but it is not recommended. But glass bottles are a better choice than plastic bottles.
How to use the packing box?
Because the temperature of food is generally not too high, there is no need to pay special attention to heat resistance. Because some components in plastic products are fat-soluble, if the fat content in food is high, it is very beneficial to its dissolution. Although it is not necessarily harmful, it is not a good thing. It is suggested that it is best not to eat greasy food, such as bloodshot hair, boiled meat slices, etc., and not to put all the grease in the soup into the box. In addition, it is best not to put it directly in the packaging box for heating.
Is it harmful to pack food in plastic bags?
Not necessarily. As long as food packaging meets food hygiene standards and national quality requirements, there will be no safety problems. In life, many people use "non-edible plastic bags" to package food in order to save or not pay attention. But whether it is poisoned or not depends on the amount of harmful substances dissolved. If you use it a few times occasionally, you don't have to worry too much about chronic poisoning. I suggest you pack your food in a plastic bag marked "food grade".
Can plastic tableware be heated by microwave oven?
Regular products will be clearly marked "This product allows/prohibits microwave heating". No.5 can be put into the microwave oven, and microwave heating is not recommended for other products.
Can ordinary plastic lunch boxes be heated by microwave oven?
No, although ordinary plastic lunch boxes are also food plastics, harmful substances will still be precipitated under microwave conditions. If you use a microwave oven, you'd better use special microwave glassware. If you can't tell which material to use, it's best to pour the packaged food into a pot to heat it, or pour it into plates and bowls and then heat it in a microwave oven.
We have seen a lot in many large shopping malls or supermarkets now. The special heating box for microwave oven, like this kind of lunch box, is safer than the plastic lunch box heated in microwave oven. But now there is another situation, that is, there are many products with special signs for microwave ovens, but they also contain fakes, so we should pay great attention to the trademarks and production addresses of the products when buying.
Can the disposable packing box be put in the refrigerator?
Feel free to use. It is rumored that putting disposable packaging boxes in the refrigerator will dissolve plasticizers, and nitrite in leftover food will cause cancer. Plastics used in ordinary packaging boxes do not need to use plasticizers in the production process, and there is no danger of plasticizers. But the refrigerator is not a safe, and leftovers really shouldn't be kept for too long.
Is the paper box safe? Paper packaging boxes are also very popular now, such as pizza, hamburgers and other foods. The coating inside the barreled instant noodles also worries many people. The plastic film lined with these paper boxes is called "polyethylene coating", which is equivalent to the above-mentioned No.4 material. Its biggest advantage is that it can handle cold drinks and hot drinks freely. It can withstand the high temperature of about 0 degrees and has good insulation with water, so it is also safe to pack food. However, direct microwave heating is not recommended.
Is the plastic packed lunch box poisonous? It is harmful to heat plastic lunch boxes for a long time.
1, plastic products also have a shelf life. After expiration, the plastic will age, change color and become brittle. If the used plastic box is found to be yellow or no longer transparent, it should be replaced as soon as possible. The plastic lunch box will be uneven after being used for a long time. If the missing part is not good, it will be eaten by people.
2. Every plastic has a heat resistance limit. Among the food materials, polypropylene (PP) is the most heat-resistant material, followed by polyethylene (PE), which is 1 10℃, while polystyrene (PS) is only heat-resistant to 90℃. Commercial plastic lunch boxes for microwave ovens are mainly made of PP or PE. If the temperature exceeds their heat resistance limit, plasticizers may be released. Long-term intake of a large number of plasticizers may damage the liver and kidneys, affecting development and growth.
Extended data:
I have seen many in many large shopping malls or supermarkets. A special heating box for microwave oven, like this lunch box, is safer than putting a plastic lunch box in the microwave oven for heating.
But there is another situation, that is, there are many products with special signs for microwave ovens, but there are also counterfeit products, so we should pay great attention to the trademarks and production addresses of the products when buying.