The warnings about plastic bottles and wraps causing cancer by Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Edward Fujimoto from Castle Hospital keep circulating… but did you know – they are all a hoax?
We will debunk this Walter Reed Army Medical Center cancer hoax, and share with you the facts!
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center Cancer Hoax
We first debunked the hoax in 2011, but it keeps making regular rounds by email, and now on Facebook too. So let’s debunk this hoax on The Rojak Pot!
This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
No plastic containers in microwave. No water bottles in freezer. No plastic wrap in microwave.
A dioxin chemical 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, 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 plastic releases dioxin into 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 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 Wrap (Gladwrap), 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.
It’s ridiculous how people keep this Walter Reed Army Medical Center cancer hoax alive by forwarding it! Let’s dissect the claims one by one…
Claim #1 : Walter Reed Warned Against Plastic Use
Claim Details : This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. No plastic containers in microwave. No water bottles in freezer. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Verdict : False
The Truth : The Walter Reed Army Medical Center did not release any warning about plastic containers or water bottles or even plastic wrap.
In fact, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center ceased to exist at the time this hoax started spreading. In 2011, it was combined with the National Naval Medical Center to form the tai-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Claim #2 : Freezing plastic bottles releases dioxins
Claim Details : Freezing your plastic bottles with water in them will release dioxins from the plastic.
Verdict : False
The Truth : Freezing plastic will NOT release dioxins because :
a) there are no dioxins in PET plastic bottles, and
b) freezing will actually inhibit the release of any chemical from any material.
Claim #3 : Heating Food Using Microwave Releases Dioxins
Claim Details : 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.
Verdict : Partially true.
The Truth : Edward Fujimoto does indeed exist, and he did talk about all that. However, that was only his belief and has yet to be backed up by any meaningful study.
The Food and Safety Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture published guidelines for safe cooking in microwave ovens, and warned against using materials that are not regarded as microwave safe.
One of the guidelines is to avoid letting plastic wraps touch the food. That is a separate issue however, and not related to dioxins or high heat in microwaves.
The FDA, on the other hand, was not so much concerned about dioxins leaching from plastics but rather, from the bleached manufacture of paper goods including milk cartons and some paper containers for microwave dinners.
In other words, paper containers in some microwave dinners aren’t safe if you are worried about dioxins…
Claim #4 : Plastic wrap causes cancer
Claim Details : He pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran Wrap (Gladwrap), 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.
Verdict : False
The Truth : A statement by the SC Johnson company says the “plasticizer” in Saran Wrap is derivative of naturally-occurring citric acid found in citrus fruits and is 100% dioxin-free.
The statement further adds that dioxins can only be formed with chlorine is combined with the kinds of high temperatures associated with waste incinerators.
How hot? Oh, about 1,500 °F / 800 °C. Even the most powerful microwave ovens are not capable of coming close to those temperatures.
Plastic Is Bad, Just Not As A Source Of Dioxin
Now, we personally dislike the use of plastic for everything. In fact, we believe EVERYONE should try to reduce our use of disposable plastics – bottled water, plastic wraps, plastic bags, food sachets, etc.
Disposable plastics greatly increase the amount of plastic waste that pollute the environment, and harm animals that accidentally consume micro-plastics.
We end up eating the plastic waste ourselves, because bits of plastic contaminate our food sources.
So avoid disposable plastics because they are TERRIBLE for our environment… not because some stupid hoax claims they cause cancer.
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