"Endocrine Mimicker" The human body mistakes this crap for estrogen, and greedily gulps it into our systems, and stores it in our fat cells. Lots of it causes "feminization" in males, but other symptoms are only vague, not particularly dangerous immediately. I harp a lot on these Endocrine Disruptors, but mainly find deaf ears. After all, heck, it will be a number of generations in the future before really serious effects become entrenched. 10 billion pounds of it produced a year! So, it's recommended that: "These products tend to release from the material when heated; as a precaution, it is recommended for the consumer: not to heat food in a plastic packaging in a microwave oven, or a tin can (its inside coating is often epoxy) with a bain-marie;[citation needed] use a pitcher material other than plastic, not a plastic bottle" "BPA is employed to make certain plastics and epoxy resins. BPA-based plastic is clear and tough, and is made into a variety of common consumer goods, such as water bottles, sports equipment, CDs, and DVDs. Epoxy resins containing BPA are used to line water pipes, as coatings on the inside of many food and beverage cans and in making thermal paper such as that used in sales receipts.[2] In 2011, an estimated 10 billion pounds of BPA chemical were produced for manufacturing polycarbonate plastic, making it one of the highest volume of chemicals produced worldwide" "BPA exhibits estrogen mimicking, hormone-like properties that raise concern about its suitability in some consumer products and food containers. Since 2008, several governments have investigated its safety, which prompted some retailers to withdraw polycarbonate products. The FDA has ended its authorization of the use of BPA in baby bottles and infant formula packaging, based on market abandonment, not safety.[4] The European Union and Canada have banned BPA use in baby bottles." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol
We are also conscious of the effect of plastic on our health. In fact, a water bottle that is heated (in the car) should not be consumed anymore for it might have dioxyn (or deoxyn). But with the microwave oven, it is usually a plastic container that we use when reheating food although our plates and saucers are microwavable ceramics. Perhaps it's just a habit already to use the plastic containers. But I am guessing that those plastic containers for use in the microwave oven may have an effect on our health.
Even the microwave has been said to destroy most of the vitamins in a food when you cook something in it. I seldom even use our microwave for anything anymore. I loved how beautiful and green broccoli that is cooked in the microwave looks, and tastes fine; but after I read that the microwaves had killed all of the nutrients inside, I stopped cooking mine in the microwave. I now use a small pan and steam it. I do still cook potatoes in the microwave; but since we seldom even eat potatoes, I don't do that much either. And we didn't use plastic usually, anyway. I do have some plastic storage containers, but only for things that we do not heat up. Hopefully, we avoid enough of the bad plastic that it is not causing us harm.
I probably should be dead by now, I've used nothing but the microwave and plastic since my husband died. I'm not going to stop using the microwave now that's for sure.
@Chrissy Page I am guessing, but think that logically, the faster a food item is heated, the less time is spent "destroying" anything beneficial in it. If that's so, the microwave wins, hands down. Compare the time to bake a potato in the oven, about 1 hour, to microwaving, 2 to 3 minutes. Frank