Many consumers wonder if it's safe to freeze or heat plastic bottles.
With so many drinks and beverages coming in plastic bottles these days, consumers are left wondering if it's safe to reuse their plastic bottles. While its harmless to freeze contents in plastic bottles, heating the plastic bottles can be dangerous. Heat applied to a plastic bottle can cause chemicals from the plastic to leach into the bottle's contents. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Heating Dangers
According to a 2008 study by Scott Belcher from the University of Cincinnati, heat can cause chemicals such as BPA, a toxic compound found in most plastics, to leach from the plastic and into the bottle's contents. Exposure to BPA has been linked with birth defects, fetus and child developmental problems and other reproductive issues. For your safety, do not heat plastic bottles in the microwave or send them through the dishwasher cycle.
Freezing Dangers
Many emails have circulated warning consumers that freezing water bottles may cause dioxin, an environmental pollutant, to be released. According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this is a myth because there are no dioxens in plastic to begin with. Furthermore, freezing plastic actually limits and prevents chemicals from being released since cold slows the plastic's ability to diffuse its components. Thus, freezing plastic is one of the safer ways to use plastic since any dangers are minimal.
Other Dangers
Microwaving plastic may cause phthalates, a chemical used in the manufacturing process of plastic, to be released into the contents the plastic container is holding. Phthalates are usually not found in water bottles but are sometimes included in baby bottles and teething toys for infants.
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