Can you boil grains in plastic bags? A toxicologist's answer 0 12

Modern people often experience a lack of time, including for household chores. Therefore, any methods that allow for speeding up the cooking process are in high demand, reports Doctorpiter.

For example, in some stores, you can find grains packaged in portion-sized plastic bags. Cooking them is very convenient: just drop the bag into boiling water, wait, and then pour the cooked grain onto a plate — and you won’t have to wash the pot.

But how safe are these bags? Toxicologist Alexey Vodovozov answered this question in an interview for Naked Science.

According to the specialist, any plastic bag primarily harms the environment. They decompose very slowly, and modern science is just beginning to develop methods to accelerate this process. Therefore, from an ecological standpoint, it is advisable to minimize the use of plastic.

As for health, these bags are made from food-grade plastic that meets all safety standards. They can be safely boiled for both 20 and 40 minutes. They do not break down even in aggressive environments, and acids in food concentrations do not pose a threat to them.

Recently, the issue of microplastics has been actively discussed. Some suggest that during boiling, small plastic particles may enter food, leading to numerous theories about potential negative consequences.

For instance, in 2022, social media was abuzz with a study in which scientists found microplastics in human blood. And in 2023, concerns arose about the migration of microplastic particles from containers when reheating food in a microwave.

Nevertheless, Vodovozov emphasizes that there are currently no reliable studies confirming the impact of microplastics on human health. There are only a few works that studied the effects on rodents, as well as experiments on cell cultures.

Poisoning can occur from any substance, and the question lies in the dosage. This rule also applies to microplastics. Experiments usually use very high concentrations of plastic that are virtually impossible to “consume.” Moreover, most often, the focus is on polystyrene nanoparticles, whereas there are many more types of plastic, and each needs to be examined individually.

Thus, to date, there is no reason to believe that such boiling bags pose a danger to humans. They do indeed harm the environment, but they do not pose a threat to health.