To your good health...

[gldstwmn]

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Cancer update -- Johns Hopkins -- Cancer News from Johns Hopkins:

• No plastic containers in micro.

• No water bottles in freezer.

• No plastic wrap in microwave.

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

 Dioxin chemicals cause 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 fast food restaurants
 moved away from 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 the food with a paper towel. This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

[skcin]

Aw, we're important in your life!

Thanks for this. I had heard about the plastic wrap & bottles already, but I didn't realize they're going so far as recommending we remove frozen dinners from their packs before heating or not using Tupperware type containers to reheat in. Scary stuff.

[JazmenFlowers]

wow.

to think of all the times I've popped a frozen dinner in the micro or a hot bottle of water in the freezer...

[DrummerDeanna]

What!?! Crap...that really puts a damper on the SmartOnes meal I brought for lunch.

I'd heard about the water bottle in the freezer one, but I thought for some reason that was an urban myth..guess not

[HomerMcvie]

Wow. I wrap corn on the cob, in Saran Wrap, then nuke for 2 minutes.
Sh*t, what do I have to do now? Boil a whole pan of water?
So much for corn on the cob!

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Wow. I wrap corn on the cob, in Saran Wrap, then nuke for 2 minutes.
Sh*t, what do I have to do now? Boil a whole pan of water?
So much for corn on the cob!

Keep it in the husk?

[Livia]

This is kinda scary - I eat lots of Smart Ones, Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine stuff. And I often re-heat in Tupperware. Yikes!

I knew about the plastic wrap. I heard that paper towels are okay, as long as they are completely white (no dyes to melt).

Corn on the cob - I have those handy ceramic corn-shaped dishes - don't wrap or cover anything - just rinse off the cob - shake off the water, and put it in the dish.

Sheryl Crow mentioned (on Larry King?) something about why it's bad to leave bottled water in a hot car - probably dioxins as well.