Phalates released from plastics when heated
Published: 15 March 2006
Category: Packaging CONCERNS, Phthalates
Johns Hopkins University recently reported on what is allegedly a “hoax” e-mail from the campus, warning people to “avoid freezing water in plastic bottles so as not to get exposed to carcinogenic dioxins.” According to Dr. Rolf Halden, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, dioxins are “organic environmental pollutants sometimes referred to as the most toxic compounds made by mankind.” Halden disputes claims that there are dioxins found in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles, but does address another dangerous chemical compound found in plastics, phthalates. Halden argues that city water is much more highly regulated and monitored for quality than polyethylene terephthalate bottled water, and further notes that phthalates—which can act as endocrine disrupters in humans—are more readily released from plastics when heated. Thus, Halden suggests that inert containers, such as heat-resistant glass, are best for cooking purposes.