Greenpeace review finds microwaving plastic food containers releases hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles

A Greenpeace International review of 24 peer-reviewed studies examined microplastic and chemical release from food-contact plastics during heating. The analysis found that microwaving plastic containers can release large quantities of microplastic particles, with higher power levels and longer heating times increasing particle release.

one study found that polypropylene and polystyrene containers released between 100,000 and 260,000 microplastic particles when microwaved after refrigerated or frozen storage. In another experiment, two polypropylene containers released an estimated 326,000–534,000 microplastic particles into a food simulant after five minutes of microwave heating, a level four to seven times higher than that observed during oven heating.

Source: Food Safety Magazine / Greenpeace International, 2026. Quoted verbatim; read the full piece and judge it yourself.

Related on PlasticFreeDB: Food storage.