Cooking/Freezing in Plastic Causes Cancer?

I recently received an email forward that I was at first inclined to believe, but then I began to doubt its accuracy. It warned about cancer dangers of cooking and freezing in plastic. The email's text follows.

Cancer update -- Johns Hopkins -- Cancer News from Johns Hopkins:

1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This
information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as
well.

Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze
your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from
the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle
Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons. Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

The information about dioxin and plastic is not accurate. That having been said, I have been avoiding heating food in plastic containers for about 8 years. There is reason to believe this is a good preventive measure. (That's why I was inclined to just accept this one as valid.) The freezer thing appears to be out of nowhere.

But how can I claim the information is not accurate? Snopes.com is a good starting point for any suspected urban legend or email forward. The snopes article about this forward (and related ones) is http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp. For more solid corroboration, go to Johns Hopkins' own page about the subject at http://www.bms.jhmi.edu/JHI/English/Media/Find_an_Expert/FE_RolfHaldenJuly05.asp.

Here are some relevant excerpts (bold emphases mine) from the Johns Hopkins feature:

[Question:]
What do you make of these email warnings that claim dioxins can be released by freezing water in plastic bottles?

RH [Rolf Halden, Ph.D., Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health]:
No. This is an urban legend. There are no dioxins in plastics. In addition, freezing actually works against the release of chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse as readily in cold temperatures, which would limit chemical release if there were dioxins in plastic, and we don’t think there are.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mr. Halden later says:

In general, whenever you heat something you increase the likelihood of pulling chemicals out. Chemicals can be released from plastic packaging materials like the kinds used in some microwave meals.
. . .
If you are cooking with plastics or using plastic utensils, the best thing to do is to follow the directions and only use plastics that are specifically meant for cooking. Inert containers are best, for example heat-resistant glass, ceramics and good old stainless steel.

__________________

I stopped microwaving in plastic after reading what Andrew Weil, M.D., wrote in his 1997 book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health: " . . . never microwave food in plastic containers, because the microwave radiation can drive plastic molecules into the food; use only glass or ceramic containers and waxed papers or a paper towel for a cover." (p. 87) Curiously, a search at Andrew Weil's site generated nothing on cooking in plastic.

So, microwaving in plastic doesn't seem to be connected with cancer or any other specific disease. Still, it's an easy preventive measure to avoid unnecessary potential contamination of food.

It's not time, though, for me to toss my plastic ice cube trays.