Do plastics release dioxins and are they harmful?
Dioxins are a group of chemicals that are formed unintentionally by industrial processes such as burning fuels and incinerating waste. Only one dioxin, known as TCDD, has been shown to cause cancer in people. Burning some types of plastic, such as PVC, at very high temperatures can release dioxins into the atmosphere. But there is no evidence to support the idea that dioxins are produced when plastics are heated in a microwave oven, as opposed to actually burned in an incinerator. And it is not even clear if plastics used in water bottles or films contain dioxins in the first place.
