Plastic containers: safe to heat?

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I have a question for you all! TV dinners/frozen vegetables are often sold in plastic containers or bags that are designed to be microwaved or put in the oven to heat up. Even popcorn kind of is, the bags often have a plastic inner lining. I'm sure that this can't be dangerous since they all must be FDA approved and extensively tested, but consequently there are always reports on the news saying not to heat up anything in a plastic container because it releases all sorts of carcinogens. So I thought I'd ask here and see if anyone has any opinions or links to information about this! I very frequently buy the frozen vegetables that you have to microwave in the bag (they're super-easy to make with no mess or cleanup lol), but I worry that even though I buy them to be healthy it may end up having the opposite effect lol.

I personally try to cook with stainless steel* or pyrex cookware only. I do not have a source for this, but it just follows the logic that plastic is made from oil, and burning oil causes pollution.

When I make popcorn in the microwave, I purchase bulk popcorn kernels (very inexpensive!) and put them in a paper sandwich bag with the top folded over. Costs less than 1/10th compared with commercial microwave popcorn bags. Recently though I acquired an electric air popper, that's the best of all (almost no wasted kernels!)

* not in the microwave, obviously!

According to what I've read, you are supposed to avoid plastics made with BPA, as that is a known carcinogen. However, I don't trust any other kind of plastic to be carcinogen free, either. You are best off microwaving in glass containers, or paper plates, and paper bowls. Although I do still sometimes microwave foods in plastic, I have reduced my use of it, as I am concerned about it. I am also planning to buy more glass ware to use in the microwave, so that I can reduce my use of plastic ware in the microwave even more.

I also have to buy a step ladder, so that I can reach the upper kitchen cupboards to store more stuff, including the new glass ware I plan to get. I don't have enough storage lower down, and can't reach the higher levels--I'm a little short. I have bad knees so I can't scramble up on the counters, and I weigh too much to climb on the chairs. Someone recently told me where to get heavy duty step ladders, so that's now on my household list.

So eat safely--avoid using plastic in the microwave as much as possible.

I would avoid using PVC to hold food when it is heated,

What is the evidence that bisphenol A is carcinogenic, all the evidence which I have seen is not strong evidence for it being a carcinogen. While I think that people should not try to consume BPA it is not a nightmare carcinogen like asbestos.

BPA does not seem to be a mutagen in salmonella so it has passed the Ames test, most carcinogens fail the Ames test.

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/about/bpa-my ... ancer.html
http://potency.berkeley.edu/chempages/B ... L%20A.html

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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

I always put my food on a plate/in a bowl before putting it in the microwave - I'd heard that plastic containers can release carcinogens when in the microwave, it's not much effort for me to not take this chance.

It can be safe but heating up a plastic containter to high is not cool.

My opinion on that is that somebody somewhere can always find a reason why anything is bad for you. Everything causes cancer now according to one group or the other. There is no question that smoking causes cancer in many, many people and while they are correct that smoking is a big risk to take, if you avoid at all the things that are supposed to increase your cancer risk you will stay in one room inside a plastic bubble. If heating in plastic does pose a cancer risk, it's a very small one. I wouldn't even give it a second thought because you are probably putting yourself at much more risk of cancer every time you walk out of the house or pass by a window on a sunny day.

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