Stanford Study Warns of Risks to Pregnant Women of Heating Foods in Plastic Containers

New research from scientists at Stanford University, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, warns that women who are pregnant should not warm food in plastic containers in microwave ovens. Chemicals in plastic containers can leak into food when heated and these chemicals can increase the risk of miscarriage by 80 percent, according to the study. The authors also warned pregnant women not to drink from plastic water bottles that have been in sunlight. Furthermore, the study said that men who are trying to father children should also avoid heating food in plastic containers because the chemicals in the plastic that may leak into food can reduce male fertility.

Ruth Lathi, a reproductive endocrinologist at Stanford University and the lead author of the study, stated that pregnant women should “avoid anything that involves cooking or warming food in plastic.”  Dr. Lathi is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the medical school at the University of California at San Francisco. She completed her internship and residency at the Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston.