Covering a watermelon with plastic wrap and putting it in the refrigerator can kill you

Ms. Lan from Anhui had half a watermelon in the refrigerator for two days. She took it out and ate it for fear of wasting it. Soon after eating the watermelon, she felt a little feverish, cold, dizzy and anxious. She thought she had a cold, so she took some cold medicine, but soon began to vomit and have diarrhea. He fell into a coma the next morning.

Later, he developed unexplained fever, shock, and multiple organ damage. His condition was critical and he was transferred to the intensive care unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University.

The hospital's attending physician said that Ms. Lan suffered from typical septic shock, which is a very serious clinical complication with a high mortality rate.

Why does this happen? The doctor said that the cause was most likely in the half watermelon she ate - it turned out that the watermelon she ate had bred a large number of bacteria, which entered the intestines and then "ran" throughout the body with the blood, invading the organs.

What is puzzling is that Ms. Lan not only put the watermelon she bought into the refrigerator, but also wrapped it in plastic wrap. There was nothing wrong with it! This is also the way we usually preserve watermelon. What’s the problem with it?

The truth is: wrapping watermelon with plastic wrap is breeding bacteria!

Further reading: What are the dangers of plastic wrap?

At present, food sold in plastic wrap can be found everywhere in supermarkets of all sizes, and is accepted by more and more families. Just cover the food with plastic wrap to preserve its deliciousness, which greatly facilitates food preparation. However, more and more studies have found that this readily available convenience is actually not safe.

In order to increase its viscosity, transparency and elasticity, a certain amount of plasticizer is added to the polyvinyl chloride cling film. The plasticizer contains a chemical agent that has a great destructive effect on the human endocrine system and will disrupt the body's hormone metabolism. After being wrapped for a long time, the oil in the food can easily dissolve the harmful substances in the plastic wrap and when heated, it will accelerate the release of chemical agents in the plasticizer into the food. After consumption, it can cause breast cancer in women, congenital defects in newborns, a decrease in sperm count in men, and even mental illness. Currently, the use of plasticizers has been restricted in Europe and is banned in South Korea.

Sort by type and reuse

At present, the cling film on the market can be roughly divided into two categories. One is ordinary cling film, which is suitable for refrigerator preservation; the other is microwave cling film, which can be used for both refrigerator preservation and microwave oven. Consumers should pay special attention to the difference in use. Plastic wrap that is not marked as suitable for microwave ovens should not be used for cooking or heating in microwave ovens. Even if some plastic wrap claims to be microwave safe, it should not be used for too long to prevent the food temperature from rising and causing the plastic wrap to melt and stick to the food. There should be at least 25 mm gap between the plastic wrap and the food surface. Choosing heat-resistant glass, porcelain plates, etc. to cover food instead of plastic wrap is an old but very effective method. This can prevent the plastic wrap from melting and the plasticizers in the plastic wrap from being absorbed by food.

Plastic wrap may contain chemicals such as phthalates and DEHA, which can produce carcinogens when heated in a microwave. Therefore, when food is wrapped in any plastic wrap, it is best not to cook it in a microwave or heat it in a steamer or rice cooker; even if it does not come into contact with the food, it is best to remove the plastic wrap. When storing food, use covered porcelain bowls or stainless steel containers more often. If possible, when buying meat, try to wrap it in your own paper. Food should be placed in an uncovered ceramic bowl. If it is covered with plastic wrap, do not fill it too full to avoid touching the food.

Which one do you choose: plastic wrap, plastic bag, or food storage box?

Plastic wrap is suitable for preserving fruits and vegetables with high moisture content. For example, apples, pears, tomatoes, rapeseed, leeks, etc. can not only be kept fresh for a long time, but also increase some of the nutrients. Experiments show that 100 grams of leek wrapped in plastic wrap has 1.33 mg more vitamin C content after 24 hours than when not wrapped, while rapeseed and lettuce leaves have 1.92 mg more. However, the experimental results for some vegetables were the opposite. After 100 grams of radish wrapped in plastic wrap was stored for one day, its vitamin C content decreased by 3.4 mg, and that of beans decreased by 3.8 mg. After cucumbers were stored for a day and a night, the amount of vitamin C lost was equivalent to that of 5 apples. For these vegetables, eating them as early as possible is the best approach.

For staple foods such as steamed buns and snacks, it is obviously inconvenient to use plastic wrap. In comparison, plastic bags are thicker and not very breathable, so they are relatively suitable, but try not to seal the opening when using them.

It is best not to store cooked food, hot food, food containing oil, especially meat, in plastic wrap or plastic bags. When these foods come into contact with plastic wrap or bags, the chemical components contained in the materials will easily volatilize and dissolve into the food, which is harmful to health. Most of the cling films currently sold on the market are made of ethylene masterbatch as raw material, just like commonly used plastic bags. Some materials are polyvinyl chloride (PVC for short), which often contains stabilizers, lubricants, auxiliary processing agents and other raw materials, which are harmful to the human body. Therefore, it is recommended that everyone return to the habit of using porcelain bowls and plates many years ago.

The main function of the fresh-keeping box is to seal, which can effectively isolate and store raw and cooked foods and block the spread of odors. Therefore, it is best to seal the cooked meat products bought from the supermarket, leftover cooked meat products, and foods with strong odors in fresh-keeping boxes in time. On the one hand, this can avoid cross-infection of bacteria, and on the other hand, it can also ensure that the food does not have a different odor.