I’ve been using plastic containers to heat food in the microwave for years. I bet a lot of people routinely use plastic containers that are designed for the microwave, if only to cover the plate with the food they want to heat. But no matter what the packaging says, experts still believe that using plastic in the microwave is harmful to your health.

I’ve always been careful to use plastic containers that are labeled as microwave safe. I’ve never stopped to think about what that safety means. It’s not about human health. It’s about the ability of said plastic container to maintain its chemical structure while being repeatedly exposed to microwaves. That is, the plastic won’t melt when exposed to all that energy.

But even safe plastic can contaminate food when exposed to microwaves. It’s not just microplastics that can end up in your food, but also the plastic components that are created when plastic breaks down.

They are so tiny that they have been found in many human tissues, including the brain, heart, and even the male reproductive organs. It is still unclear how microplastics affect different organs, but that is definitely not where they belong.

Medical experts explained Food and wine that other chemicals in plastic containers can get into the food during microwave processing.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates can leach from plastic containers into food when they are heated to high temperatures. The substances then enter the body and can cause unwanted side effects.

The report also cites experiments from a 2023 study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The researchers filled deionized water or 3% acetic acid into baby containers made of polypropylene and polyethylene, trying to mimic the dairy products, fruits and vegetables that one would heat in a microwave.

The researchers found that the amount of microplastics in foods and liquids can vary, but was present after microwave heating. The researchers estimated that children and toddlers who consume microwaved foods and liquids in plastic containers ingested the greatest relative concentrations of microplastics.

In a second experiment, the scientists tested these microplastic concentrations on kidney cells in the laboratory. They found that only 23 percent of the cells survived.

The conclusion is simple: the more plastic containers you use in the microwave, the more it can affect your health. The experts cited several potential health risks associated with exposure to plastic chemicals, including cancer, hormone disruption, fertility problems, metabolic diseases and neurological disorders.

For example, a recent study found that people with nanoplastics in their cardiovascular system have a 4.5 times higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and death.

Glass is the best alternative to plastic, so if you use your microwave frequently, you should switch to it.

Another option that experts have recommended Food and wine are plastics that have “BPA-free” on the label. This is better than those that contain BPA, but you would still put a plastic container in the microwave. It could still contain bisphenol chemicals, which can be harmful.