CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS

This is an urban legend that I received today via email.

Original source:
https://lists.cs.columbia.edu/pipermail/ornet/2006-April/011217.html

This is the refuting source:
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoaxDetails.asp?HName=Cancer+update+from+Johns+Hopkins

Don

Please circulate to all you know Cancer update -- John Hopkins -- Cancer News from John Hopkins:

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.


Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army MedicalCenter as well.

Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.


Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.


He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers.


This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.


Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.


Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.



He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.


Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.


This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

Another few links for this:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_frozen_plastic_dioxin.htm

Thank you for this that I already knew for long time not safe tho.

We use plastics and our microwave almost daily. The update didn't come from Hopkins -- it's an urban legend.

ooH.. This hits a personal nerve with me...


Eating out of heated plastic will NOT give you cancer. Do you honestly think for one minute all those companies that make the plastic containers live in a vaccuum and wouldn't test the TV dinner trays under normal cooking conditions? I used to work for a "TV Dinner tray" manufacturer. Now I work for a supplier - a large plastics manufacturer. We test this stuff, folks. We wouldn't poison you. I use it myself. I eat out of nuked plastic trays all the time. If I thought it was going to give me cancer, I wouldn't do it. The people that engineer & make the plastics have fed their families for years using the technology. We're not sitting around a conference room table having these secret meetings where we use code-words to describe how we're killing thousands of rats from feeding them plastic toxins... I promise.

Plastic manufacturers must not be lumped into the same category as cigarette manufacturers. When you accuse us of making poisonous products, sales decrease, and me and my co-workers fear for job security. We're already competing with foreign countries. I'd rather not have to compete with urban legends, too. Don't lump all chemical companies with oil refineries, either. We're not sitting up on the mountain making zillions of dollars annually. I promise. If we are, I deserve one heck of a raise, as do all of my colleagues.

it's an urban legend. it's an urban legend. it's an urban legend. it's an urban legend.

Folks if you will READ Snipe's post he says it's an Urban legend in the first sentence. He also has links to prove it's an urban legend under his initial post.

I think that was his point to making the post in the first place - to say it's an urban legend!

Nicole

This message was edited Mar 19, 2007 3:39 PM

There are different grades of plastics. Most food safe containers are coded 1 or 2.

http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/quicklist-detail.asp?Main_ID=353

My supermarket has been featuring some very attractive plastic pieces made in China - pitchers, glasses, etc. These carry no coding at all and I haven't bought any.

Chemical Clarification (again) from someone in the business...

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/doc.asp?CID=1102&DID=4644

The coding is for recycling purposes, and has absolutely nothing to do with "food storage compatibility". For example, #4 LDPE is quite safe for food-grade containers, otherwise you ought to throw away every ziploc bag in your house, and never store any food (like cheese or nuts) in them, even temporarily. If LDPE isn't safe for food, then you should also avoid receiving IV medicaion, because some IV bags are made from the same type of plastic. #5 PP is very safe, and usually contains very few "leachable" chemicals. The only thing that makes #6, Polystyrene, "unsafe" is if you microwave it past the melting point thawing out frozen meat. Even then, you'll simply make the meat harder to cook, because it'll have melted plastic on it. End result is not toxic, since the plastic has no nutritional value, think of it is poly-fiber. =)

"Saran" or "Cling Wrap" is not always PVC, but sometimes low-density Polyethylene.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/foodadd.html

While I recognize that for every link I toss out there someone will have an opposing link, I'm trying to find very reputable sources, like the American Chemistry Council, and the FDA. We're so busy making "poisonous plastic" here at work, my time is limited. =) *giggle*

As you were...

Apparently Dr. Fujimoto is real. He says he was accurately quoted, except the part about freezing plastic water bottles. And he's sticking to his story.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/dioxins.htm

correctly quoting incorrect information does not make the information correct.

Well no kidding. But he's claiming to have done research to support his statements. I thought the whole thing was made up, but he's a real guy.

Angelsong...since you're in the plastics industry, thought you might know this.

What about plastic containers that are *not* meant to be used to reheat foods in a microwave, such as margarine containers, 'old' tupperware products, etc...?

I'm assuming these aren't safe to use?

I have some tupperware containers that my mother gave to me that I'm certain were around before microwave ovens became common.
Have they been tested?

I don't use either of the above, simply because they aren't stated to be microwave safe...but I just have a feeling that there are people out there that do use them.
TIA

My grandson like a tv dinner I won't mention its name, but it comes in a blue plastic tray. I always pop the food out of the tray and onto a plate. I never use plastic in a microwave anymore. I am avoiding teflon also. Did you know teflon is coated inside of microwave popcorn bags? I am very upset the we weren't told of these thing prior to use.

Nan - (and everyone else) - They're fine! I wouldn't recommend bring leftover soup to a rolling boil in the old butter containers, as you might get melted plastic that'll burn your fingers as you attempt to remove it from the microwave, but they're not going to leach toxins into your food.

"Not Microwave Safe" has NOTHING to do with "toxins" getting into your food. It simply means "if you get it too hot, it might break or melt". Older tupperware probably had the same testing the new stuff does. In fact, it's probably got less additives in it, since the new stuff's a lot more flexible than the older... I don't really want to give away trade secrets here, folks. I love my job and would rather not lose it defending my employer on a gardening website ...

TV dinners in plastic blue trays are fine, too! I promise! Teflon-coated pots & pans are FINE. Microwave popcorn bags are FINE!

Interesting....good to know, Angelsong...Thanks for responding!

Love those margarine tubs! :)