Can heating food wrapped in plastic wrap cause cancer? Experts respond

Recently, the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Beijing Municipal Cyberspace Administration and other departments jointly disclosed a number of pseudosciences in life, among which the widely-discussed statement "Wrapping food in plastic wrap and heating it will release carcinogens into the food" was mentioned. Is this statement true?

"Heating food wrapped in plastic wrap can cause cancer"

Is it true?

Cling film is a plastic packaging product, usually made of ethylene as a masterbatch through polymerization. According to the different types of ethylene masterbatch, most of the cling films sold in the Chinese market can be divided into three categories:

The first is polyethylene cling film, referred to as PE;

The second is polyvinyl chloride cling film, referred to as PVC;

The third type is polyvinylidene chloride cling film, referred to as PVDC.

Zhang Mei, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, said : Because PVC cling film contains a lot of plasticizers, there are many reports that plasticizers can produce some teratogenic and carcinogenic substances, so people may be panicked about this. However, all toxic or harmful substances are actually related to the dosage. For example, if this PVC cling film meets the national standards and is purchased through formal channels, there are requirements for the limit and amount of plasticizers in it. If it meets the relevant requirements and is used reasonably and normally, it is actually safe.

PE cling film is mainly used for food packaging. Fruits, vegetables and semi-finished products purchased from supermarkets can be kept fresh with PE cling film. PVC cling film can be used for food packaging, but because it contains di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), commonly known as plasticizer, it increases the elasticity and toughness of plastics while having a certain impact on human safety. It should not be heated for use. PVDC cling film is mainly used for packaging some cooked food, meat and other products, and can be heated to a limited extent.

PVDC cling film is heat-resistant and non-toxic

Better than ordinary cling film

Experts say that it is necessary to use different cling films for different foods. The cling films on the Chinese market can be roughly divided into two categories based on their functions:

One type is ordinary cling film, which is suitable for keeping fresh in the refrigerator;

One type is microwave cling film, which can be used for both refrigerator and microwave. PVDC cling film is far superior to ordinary cling film in terms of heat resistance and non-toxicity. Therefore, as long as it is used according to the instructions and meets the relevant requirements, there is no need to worry too much.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV News Client

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Editor: Yinuo

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin