There are two common plastics used for shrink-wrap film manufacture - polyethylene and plasticized poly vinyl chloride (PVC).
Polyethylene is a very thermally stable plastic, and is ideal for any end-use application where the ambient temperature is below 100 degress centigrade. At room temperature the PE film is quite flexible but, as the temperature increases towards its melting point (~100 degrees C), the film softens and eventually melts. A desirable temperature for micrwaved food is ~60 degress C, so the PE film is well below its melting point and, at no time - even above its melting point - does the plastic exude any toxic components.
Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is the rigid material used for manufacture of guttering and downspouts. PVC shrink-wrap film is flexible because the rigid PVC has been 'plasticized' by blending it with a liquid which is very compatible with PVC. This 'plasticizer' acts like an internal lubricant by allowing the polymer chains to slide past each other - making the film very flexible.
It is possible for a minor portion of this liquid plasticizer to migrate out of the hot PVC shirnk-wrap film during microwave heating - and come in contact with food which is in contact with the film. Because these small molecules also 'like' fatty foods, there is increased potential for their migration from the flexible PVC cling-wrap if its is in contact with a microwave-heated fatty food.
There are literally hundreds of plasticizers - usually small molecules, which are very compatible with PVC. One plasticizer, diethyl hexyl adipate (DEHA), has received a lot of negative publicity on the basis of (non-proven) potential toxicity. Because of this it was voluntarily withdrawn as a plasticizer for PVC in New Zealand. A similar unsubstantiated rumour regarding phthalate ester plasticizers led New Zealand cling-wrap manufacturers to eliminate this family of plasticizers from their products.
All plasticizers used for flexible PVC food contact cling film must meet the stringent human toxicity safety limits defined by the FDA based on animal testing. The cling-wrap film must also meet these same regulations using extraction testing protocol established by the FDA. Actual testing of cling-wrap film samples shows that levels of plasticizers extracted from cling wrap films based on plasticized PVC are well below these stringent safety limits established for the plasticizers.
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• Temperature ranges from -20°C to 110°C
• Caution when removing the wrap from heated food.
• Large container is suggested to leave spaces between food and wrap
• When microwaving, turn back one corner for venting. Do not pierce holes on the wrap.
• Do not use in conventional or convection ovens, stove tops, toaster ovens or browning units.
• Before using this product for cooking or reheating foods in microwave ovens, please adjust power and heating time according to the instructions by microwave ovens manufacturers to avoid over heating.
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