Until I can learn to stop chewing on my pens while I work.. I'm not going to worry about the trace amounts of non-toxic plastics that might leech into my food :-)

Here's a blurb from the mayoclinic website. I work with dioxins and I can say with some certainty that they are not used in any plastics designed for kitchen use and to be created, requires temperatures in the 700 degree range - and your microwave can't get this high :)

"According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stories have circulated for years about the harm from chemicals in plastics leaching into microwaved foods. There is some evidence that substances used to make certain plastics can migrate into some foods. But the FDA has evaluated the migration levels of these substances and has found them to be well within the margin of safety.

The FDA carefully reviews the substances used to make plastics designed for food use, including microwave-safe plastic wraps and containers. These plastics are classified as "food contact substances." The FDA must find them safe for their intended use before these products can be marketed as such.

Other claims have suggested that plastics contain dioxins, a group of contaminants labeled as a "likely human carcinogen" by the Environmental Protection Agency. But according to the FDA, there is no evidence that plastic containers or wraps contain dioxins."

I just don't trust the FDA to make good choices for me.
You can easily steam veggies in a pot - only put a tiny amount of water, about 1/2 inch in the bottom. Cover tightly. Only takes a few minutes.
Or use a glass container in the nuker.

Thanks Thriver.

I have tried all of these methods and still like the mike and the plastic bag best. My second fave is a non stick steamer. I also have my doubts about the FDA....... but for now I plan to go on doing what I have been. Hope I'm making the right decision!

The FDA, like any organization, is not infallible and it's good to have some skepticism. But plastic is not mysterious. It's not made randomly, Plastic wraps and containers are made out of known components, known plasticizers, and it's regulated that nothing toxic goes into plastic that is to come into contact with food.

Second, it's fairly simple to study what chemicals might sorb into food from the packaging during eating. So plenty of tests have been done (funded by a variety of different sources) to make sure that food isnt being heavily contaminated - even with the non-toxic plastics - during normal cooking methods.

I'm not the sort to trust just any government study, but the truth is, there has not been found ANY reason to believe that cooking in food-safe plastic containers is at all dangerous except in that you might burn yourself if you reach for it too fast.

It's not as if someone found evidence that cooking with plastic was toxic and then the government stepped in to cover it up.. There was never any evidence, just people start rumors on the internet. If there were any danger, it would be so easy to prove, there would be no way to cover it up. It's a very easy study... you cook something in a plastic container and then analyze that food for chemicals that are not supposed to be there. It has been done.. repeatedly... without anyone ever finding any results pointing toward toxic effects from cooking with plastic. It's just not something worth getting worked up about.

Tobacco - definitely linked to cancer (amongst other problems).
Alcohol - definitely linked to a variety of diseases.
Eating lead paint - definitely going to cause some problems
Eating steamed broccoli - Very healthy
Eating steamed broccoli cooked in a plastic bag - Still Very Healthy.

There are plenty of gray areas.. the stuff that they put on PJs and furniture to make it flame-retardant, formaldehyde in carpetting and furniture, Various chemicals that are found in our drinking water... These things are still all constantly under investigation.

Plastic in the microwave is NOT still under investigation. It has been deemed safe by repeatable data.

You dont have to steam stuff in plastic bags and if it makes you uncomfortable for any reason, Don't. But if you want to, there is no reason to stop.