Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals (2011) | Hacker News Reader

Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals (2011)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

54 pointsandsoitis30 comments

Just to save everyone a click, this is a 2011 paper.

Here's some criticism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3230411/

Here's some discussion from the authors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3230412/

Also, as a full disclosure, the "solution" proposed (more or less the purpose of this paper) is a proprietary plastic process the authors developed.

Important point:

MCF-7 assays (n = 6) consistently showed that extracts of “barefoot” (no additives) polymers (e.g., LDPE resin P1 in Table 3) were EA free, even when stressed. (PP-based polymers require antioxidants to prevent severe degradation during their use in manufacturing plastic products.) Furthermore, PE- and PP-based resins containing appropriate additives to produce fit-for-use products could be constructed that remained EA free (n > 100 assays of > 10 resins), even when exposed to common-use stresses.

It's not the plastic itself, it's some of the additives which are problematic.

It's interesting because I can definitely taste the difference of water coming from a plastic bottle vs a glass one. Especially if the plastic bottle was left in a hot car. Whatever those compounds are, at least some can be tasted.

Have you tried taking a warmed-up water bottle, chilling it, and pouring it into a glass? I wonder if part of it is the psychological effect.

I cook sous vide and utilize vacuum sealers, because I love the culinary results that can be achieved with a little bit of technology, but this is one thing that bothers me. Between this study and the other study last month, so-called food-safe polyethylene bags may shed countless nanoparticles and microparticles, and may nevertheless leach hormone-like chemicals? Time for a reevaluation.

Yeah, I’ve been using sous vide for years now, and I almost never see any articles about plastic shedding in sous vide from any reputable sources

That was last week on hackernews: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36532812 Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food (acs.org)

That's because it's really obvious so no one needs to write a paper about it... Heat and plastic releases microplastics as demonstrated many times, no need to write about some semi obscure cooking method, yeah I know it's popular among chefs but it's not among scientists.

I was not aware sous vide isn't popular among scientists? Is this from personal knowledge or something someone said?

There are legitimate molecular gastronomists - the French professor Herve This comes to mind, and also the American Douglas Baldwin, both of whom are scientists who helped develop sous vide techniques.

Good for them I guess but it's still an obscure cooking method and not popular in the general public let alone scientists who spent their grad years eating ramen or takeout or whatever. Anyway, you don't need to bite my head over a rhetorical point, my main point is sous vide releasing microplastics is just a very obvious inference.

No, you misunderstand, I am very interested in what scientists generally think of sous vide technology, and that's why I asked the question. I'm not the same commenter you had replied to.

Okay..carry on being interested I guess.

I'm sorry, is there a reason for such a passive aggressive tone and dismissive remark? Specifically with the ellipses and the extra "I guess"? Most people would find that rude. What is it that you intend to communicate here?

That they lack the cognitive ability to add to the conversation.

Buddy you clearly projecting.

Because I am very very uninterested in scientists and sous vide lol, and you're the one doing the passive aggressive thing.

You can sous vide in a glass container in a water bath with a weight on it. Air is an insulator, but it gets up to temperature in time.

Like a mason jar? I get that for certain foods, but for something like shrimp, fillet of fish, or a piece of chicken breast then that poses some challenges.

Yes, a mason jar would work. I use mould jars with a rubber seal.

like this https://weckjars.com/product/743-mold-jar/

If you're scared of microparticles of PE, then I hope you don't use the even more reactive Vaseline.

I'm not scared, I read most of that paper, unlike some commenters

is it really news that all plastics are toxic? this has been well known for decades. sorry if some of us are just finding this out now.

It's not news nor is it true that "all plastics are toxic".

In rough order of increasing hazards: PE, PP, PC, PET, PS, ABS, PVC, fluoropolymers.

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Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for.

If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.

Although a meme I think it sort of turned out to have truth to it. Not sure about the gay part but it did have an impact on their hormones such that it emasculated them and more tadpoles became female than male than normal.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842049/

worth educating yourself: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138231/

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