Raipur cancer surgeon with 25 years of experience explains how to use plastics safely in home and kitchen

Dr Sharma highlights plastic leaching and microplastics as major concern in daily life, and states how we can work around them.

In the modern day, there is hardly any place on Earth where plastics are not present in one form or another. However, the concerns about the utility and hazards of plastics are far from being eradicated.

Plastic from bottle starts leaching into water as the bottle gets old and the outer protective layer wears off.(Unsplash)

Taking to Instagram on November 24, 2025, Dr Jayesh Sharma, Raipur-based oncologist with over 25 years of experience, discussed the troubles that plastic may cause in our kitchen or household, and the best ways to avoid them.

Causes of health risk from plastics

1. Chemical leaching

Plastic containers are produced completely from artificial chemicals, and some of them leech into food and water over time, shared Dr Sharma. Leaching of plastics depends on various factors, such as:

• Heat: The more plastic containers are heated, the more they leach.
• Plastic type: Low-quality plastics leach more than better-quality variants.
• Age of container: As plastic containers get old, their upper protective layer gets removed, and leaching increases.

2. Microplastics

As the name suggests, microplastics are microscopic plastic particles that are invisible to the naked eye. They are usually formed when discarded plastic materials are eroded by sunlight and other environmental factors. It is present in our food, lungs, blood, cells, basically everywhere, shared Dr Sharma.

Health risks from leaching and microplastics

The presence of plastics in our bodies can produce the following effects:

• Endocrine disruption
• Inflammation

While there is not much evidence of plastics directly causing cancer to date, certain pathways are being studied that may confirm it in future. The risk is small, shared Dr Sharma, but understandably, not something that we want to take.

How to safely use plastic containers

• The combination of plastic, food, and heat is bad for health and should ideally be avoided
• When it comes to microwave-safe plastics, it simply means that they will not melt inside a microwave. To be on the safe side, we should mostly use glass and ceramic
• Overhead water tanks in houses also contain water. However, they are made up of stable types of plastics and do not start leaching chemicals at temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
• Bucket water for bathing is not meant for drinking and thus does not present a significant risk.
• Milk bottles for kids are made from BPA-free, relatively safe plastics. We can use steel or glass bottles for added safety, but the nipple should be made of silicone.
• Good quality silicone moulds are safe for baking at temperatures that are not too high.
• While microplastics are all around us, nearly 50 percent of microplastics that enter our bodies are through drinking water,” stated Dr Sharma. The easiest way to remove it is by using a water filter.
• Microplastics are also present in greater volume inside buildings than outside. We should therefore pay attention to keeping rooms well ventilated. Using vacuum cleaners and mopping also helps.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.