The American Academy of Pediatrics warns of Danger of heating children's dishes and plastic bottles in the microwave and washing them in the dishwasher.
He argues that some of the products with which they are manufactured can transfer and contaminate food and be harmful to our children, so he demands strict regulation in this regard.
Additives: a health hazard
A study published in Pediatrics, "Food Additives and Child Health" suggests that some of the chemicals currently allowed, especially for children, should be avoided.
Some additives are placed directly in food, while 'indirect' additives may include chemical plastics, glues, dyes, paper, cardboard and different types of coatings used for processing and packaging. The most worrisome include:
- Bisphenols, such as BPA, which are used to harden plastic containers and line metal cans, because they are endocrine disruptors. These chemicals are similar in structure to sex hormones, such as estrogen, so they can interfere with the onset of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat and affect the nervous and immune systems of the child.
In fact, the BPA has been banned in bottles and cups for years.
- Phthalates, which make plastic and vinyl tubes used in industrial food production flexible, can affect male genital development, increase childhood obesity and contribute to cardiovascular disease, since they are also endocrine disruptors.
In Babies and more Definitive goodbye to Bisphenol A in bottles and other itemsIn 2017, the American Consumer Products Safety Commission banned the use of some phthalates in child care products such as teething rings. Also in Europe they are regulated.
And is that according to the report on toxicity, "Children are more sensitive to exposure to chemicals because they eat and drink more, in relation to their body weight, than adults, and they continue to grow and develop. "
"Chemicals that affect the endocrine system, for example, can have lasting effects on a child since hormones coordinate complex functions throughout the body."
This is explained by Dr. Leonardo Trasande, lead author of the study.
Therefore, among its recommendations, the American Pediatric Association (AAP) advocates a more rigorous and transparent regulatory process, including new requirements for toxicity tests before use in the market and to retest previously approved chemicals. .
In Babies and moreAmerican doctors warn: teething necklaces and bracelets are dangerous Crystal, better than plastic
But in addition to requesting more stringent requirements, the AAP warns families to avoid heating in plastic microwave containers and washing them in dishwashers, because contain harmful chemicals that can seep into children's food.
According to the report published in 'Pediatrics':
- All plastics with recycling codes three for phthalates, six for styrene and seven for bisphenols must be avoided. You will understand better with this table of symbols.
Plastics with the code PVC (polyvinylchloride) or PS (polystyrene) should never be used at high temperatures. They are characterized by their great insulating and damping capacity, but they have a low resistance to high temperature (they deform at less than 100 ° C).
Instead, it is recommended to use glass containers or stainless steel containers.
The choice of whole foods instead of processed foods also reduces the risk of contamination, as well as washing hands and products during food preparation.
Why does it damage your health to heat in the microwave?
Water bottles, trays, bowls ... If they are heated or exposed to a high ambient temperature, they run the risk of decomposition of the plastic that covers them and the formation of undesirable substances such as dioxins and other toxic substances that can migrate to the food.
Hence it is inadvisable to heat food in plastic utensils or wash them in the dishwasher, due to the high temperatures they reach.
But this only happens with some types of plastic and not with all. To ensure that the article can be heated in the microwave without being dangerous to the health of our children, we must verify that it complies with the regulations of the European Union (Commission Regulation 10/2011 of January 14, 2011, on materials and plastic objects) and that bears its corresponding stamp that certifies that it is suitable for food (usually the drawing of a fork and a knife).
And in Spain?
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics has also warned of the contaminating dangers of the chemicals that plastics contain.
Few groups like the pediatric are so sensitized about the exposure of children to polluting products and chemical waste.
According to Dr. Nicolás Olea Serrano, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Granada and Scientific Director of the Institute of Biosanitary Research ibs Granada:
"The chemical risk is greater than we perceive. The scientific progress that observes and determines the dangers and benefits of these substances and the products that contain them goes behind the industrial development responsible for the huge volume of chemical elements to which we are exposed every day".
And they go further, by ensuring that cosmetics, toiletries, cleaners, detergents, containers, wrappers, plastics, food, textiles ... practically all daily consumption supplies contain doses of chemical contaminants.
But far from being catastrophic, Spanish pediatricians bet on informing families that these exposures can present a potential risk and that there are critical stages in life in which precautions such as pregnancy and lactation must be taken.
And they advocate following a poorly processed food of higher quality, by reducing the use of food plastic, recycling it, not reusing it and not heating it in the microwave. Dr. Olea argues that:
"It is not about going back decades because then many bad things were also done whose consequences we are seeing now, but it is necessary to adopt a more prudent attitude and bear in mind that unbridled consumerism can lead us to follow habits whose consequences we will pay later in our children. "
For this reason, Spanish specialists also claim greater involvement of regulatory authorities in this area:
"It is true that the harmful effects sometimes take many years to be evident, but that is precisely why the authorities should not sin of excessive trust and laxity, since this can lead to inoperance at a time when the facts must be anticipated ".
This is explained by Dr. Olea who applauds initiatives such as the prohibition in 2011 of polycarbonates with which the bottles were manufactured or the veto of France in January 2013 to thermal cash tickets, since both contain bisphenol A, harmful to pregnant women.
Luckily, today you can find safe plastic items for food, free of BPA and phthalates (the most polluting chemicals).
But if you still have doubts, better opt for a bowl or glass or ceramic to heat the food. Why risk the health of our children?
Photos | iStock
