Ziploc faces a class action lawsuit with undisclosed micro-risks. What you need to know

I have a box of Ziploc bags in my cabinet, and now that Ziploc maker SC Johnson is facing class action lawsuits, I have a completely different view. The lawsuit claims that Ziploc storage bags are “fit for freezers” and “microwave safe” marketing is misleading because the bags are made of polyethylene and polypropylene. These types of plastics are known to release microplastics into food upon exposure to extreme temperatures, which is not mentioned in Ziploc packaging.

“Repeated exposure to extreme temperatures – cold or hot – pressure plastic materials and can cause the collapse of their surface layers, releasing tiny plastic particles into the food,” said Brad Younggren, who is circulating healthy.

When you use plastic microwave food, the heat will accelerate how much microplastic is immersed in the food. “Again, freezing and thawing cycles can lead to structural degradation, which also encourages microplastic release, which is in relation to how freezing temperatures in winter break down,” Younggren said.

According to the lawsuit, Ziploc bags are “basically unsuitable” to advertise.

The average annual personnel intake ranges between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles, which increases to 120,000 when taking up air particles. Microplastic consumption does not establish a level of “safe” or “unsafe”, which is why it is important to know where microplastics come from and how to reduce intake.

What does microplastic have to do?

Microplastics have long been a topic of conversation, mainly because they are important environmental pollutants. But these tiny pieces of plastic will not only have a negative impact on the planet. They also have potential health effects. Sometimes it feels like we often find surprising things in the tiny plastic lurking inside our bodies. Scientists recently discovered the microplastic value of a spoon in the brain of a cadaver.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says scientific evidence does not show that the amount of microplastics in food is a risk to our health, not all doctors believe it. Microplastics located in blood vessels are associated with higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. The study also found tissue inflammation, cell death, and the effects of lung and liver due to the effects of microplastics. That is to say, we still don’t know much about the impact of microplastics.

What we know is that microplastics are everywhere. They are burning plastic spoons you should have thrown away years ago, or plastic wrapped food in grocery stores. But it's not just how we pack our food. Microplastics can enter our food through soil and water pollution.

Since microplastics touch many areas of our life (did I mention that they are also synthetic fibers for our clothes?), it feels challenging to outperform them completely. Although there are no established safe or unsafe microplastic consumption levels, most of us want to minimize contact with them as much as possible.

How to limit my use of microplastics?

The best way to limit your household consumption of microplastics is to minimize the use of plastic in your kitchen. Remember that microplastics are not only in plastic bags.

Top microplastics lurk in your kitchen:

• Non-stick cooking utensils
• Plastic cookware
• Tea bags
• Plastic straws
• Canned food lining
• Plastic cutting board

Therefore, you should probably stop using Ziploc bags to freeze and microwave food. But where did you leave? Younggren recommends choosing non-plastic alternatives where possible.

“We recommend microwave-safe glass containers as a safer option,” said Youngern. The glass containers are more stable under temperature stress, so the risk of microplastic contamination is lower.

There are a few things you can do in addition to changing the way you store your food. You can choose wood boards instead of plastic, or use loose tea leaves or cook in cast iron. You might be surprised at how much plastic you have in your kitchen. A good rule of thumb when cooking is to pay attention to how often your food comes into contact with plastic. While any progress you can make can reduce your micro intake, it’s hard to get it out of life completely.