3 mistakes when using food wrap that are extremely harmful to health and can cause cancer that many people make
Most families use plastic wrap to preserve food. However, using plastic wrap in these 3 ways means you are "inviting disease and cancer" into your body.
Food wraps are usually made from plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC). Some types of food wraps may also contain additives to enhance properties such as adhesion, antioxidant capacity, and durability.
The use of food wraps still poses many health risks, especially when used incorrectly, it will increase the risk of chemicals from the food wrap migrating into food, which can be harmful to health over time and increase the risk of cancer.
3 common mistakes when using plastic wrap
Here are 3 mistakes when using plastic wrap that can lead to illness but many people make.
- Reuse plastic wrap
Some people like to reuse plastic wrap to save money or protect the environment. However, people do not know that there are many invisible bacteria in the environment such as the refrigerator. If left for too long and reused, food can easily be contaminated, causing unsafety.
In addition, reusing plastic wrap can cause the release of toxic chemicals into food, which can cause many diseases in the long term, including cancer.
- Use food wrap to steam or reheat food
Most of the food wraps we buy on the market are made from food-grade PE plastic, so they are very stable and safe. However, the melting point of PE cling film is not high. When heated for a long time, it will easily soften, deform, or even melt.
If we heat food at high temperatures and then use PE cling film to wrap it, it may melt due to high temperatures, stick to the food and release some harmful substances, which can also be harmful to the body and increase the risk of cancer.
- Using poor quality food wrap
If you buy food wrap with high DEHA concentration, it can cause negative health effects such as affecting fertility and development as well as toxicity to the liver and the risk of cancer.
So what material should you buy food wrap from?
As mentioned, most plastic wraps are made from PVC, PE and PVDC. Of these, PVC plastic wrap is the most controversial. The main ingredient of this wrap is polyvinyl chloride, and to increase its toughness, a large amount of plasticizer is often added. This type of plastic wrap is cheap but its safety is very low.
PE plastic wrap is relatively safer but should be limited to use at high temperatures.
Finally, PVDC plastic wrap has the highest level of safety, made from polyvinylidene chloride, providing excellent waterproofing and sealing properties, as well as high chemical resistance. Although it is more expensive, this type of wrap is safe for wrapping cooked food.