Since the plasticizer incident was exposed, it has been the focus of public attention. Recently, the report that "plasticizers are insoluble in water but soluble in oil" has caused heated discussions among the public. “Experts say that if you store oil in a plastic bucket, it may lead to spillage of plasticizer. Then, the oil control pot previously issued by the municipal government is also plastic. Is it safe?” With questions from many readers, the reporter interviewed several departments. The expert's answer is very consistent - the public can feel comfortable using the oil control pot.
The bottom of the pot is engraved with "LDPE"
The reader said that the oil control pot was distributed free of charge by the Shanghai municipal government in 2009 to facilitate citizens' control of daily edible oil intake. The oil control pot is made of plastic and the bottom of the pot is printed with "LDPE" 4 letters. “After the plasticizer incident, neighbors were very concerned about this hot spot, and often talked about it together. Recently, plasticizers were insoluble in water but soluble in oil. We were concerned that we did not know if the oil control pot was safe. We would use it every day. Now, They are afraid to use it.” She said that the free distribution of oil-control bottles was originally an initiative of the government that cares about the public’s health. But after all, it is a plastic product. I do not know whether the plasticizer is contained in the oil control pot.
The reporter then visited a number of supermarkets and found that the words “PET” were printed on the bottoms of various drummed edible oil barrels of brands such as “Fulinmen”, “Hongxiang”, “Jinlongyu” and “Haishi”. The reporter searched the Internet and found that the full name of “LDPE” was low-density polyethylene, which was a type of plastic, while “PP”, “PVC”, and “PET” were all plastics.
No plasticizer but avoid high temperatures
Dong Jinshi, general secretary of the International Food Packaging Association, told reporters that oil cans for oil control pots and edible oils on the market are mostly made from LDPE, PET, and PP. They are food packaging materials approved by the state and do not contain plasticizers. “Plasticizers can increase the transparency of plastics, but they are not very useful for food packaging, so there is no need to add them.” He said that only “PVC” materials contain more plasticizers and are therefore prohibited from packaging foods.
And a staff member of the daily control company for mass production control oil pots said that as long as it is not high temperature, such plastics are harmless. She said that the heat resistance of different plastics is not the same. If it exceeds the heat resistance, the plastic will become soft, melt and release harmful substances. “Therefore, it is not recommended that the public heat any plastic food containing food, but it is completely safe to store cooking oil at room temperature,” she said.
Dong Jinshi agrees with this statement. “Boiling oil can reach 200 degrees, far beyond the heat resistance of plastics, and plastics will melt and endanger health.” He reminded the public to avoid heating up oiled plastic products.
