Fumes from heating a plastic Sterilite container?

  • Thread starter Thread starter theycallmevirgo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Food Plastic
AI Thread Summary
Repurposing a Sterilite container as a food dehydrator raises concerns about potential fumes, especially if the polymer is not rated for temperatures above 150°F. Fumes may include harmful plasticizers and breakdown products if the material is heated beyond its safe limits. Sterilite containers are not designed for use in ovens or stovetops, as indicated on their website. It's crucial to verify the material's specifications and ensure it is food-safe before using it for food-related purposes. Using non-food-grade materials can pose health risks, so it's advisable to stick to containers specifically rated for food use.
theycallmevirgo
Messages
108
Reaction score
25
TL;DR Summary
Do I need to worry about inhaling or ingesting fumes from a Sterilite container heated to 150F?
Howdy folks.
I have a couple spares of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NAL6MND/?tag=pfamazon01-20

and I was thinking about repurposing one as a food dehydrator. Do I need to worry about fumes?

IIRC the max temp is 150F.

Will one of these help?

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Purifier-Battery-Activated-Printer(Pack/dp/B095BTW744/ref=asc_df_B095BTW744/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647308226327&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5989182475171002304&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003563&hvtargid=pla-1409880341191&gclid=CjwKCAjw7c2pBhAZEiwA88pOF0ClVKKpPasTkbNZ-oSUCWjycF_t73OD0YIkvWzJ6G5UTCnQq8Y1CRoChrwQAvD_BwE&th=1

There's plenty of room even if I wanted to use two or even 4 purifiers.

Thanks so much

Joe
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
Yes, worry. You should avoid the fumes.
If the polymer is not rated to 150F, the fumes will include the plasticizer, isomer, and breakdown products from the polymer.
 
theycallmevirgo said:
...repurposing one as a food dehydrator.
Rule of thumb: if it's about food, then stick to food (grade/rated).
The linked product is '‎Clothes Storage'.
 
Sterilite is a business name and registered trademark. It is not a type of polymer.
Sterilite admits that the material is "BPA-free and phthalate-free".
What material identification information is included with the product ?
 
Hello! I've been brainstorming on how to prevent a lot of ferrofluid droplets that are in the same container. This is for an art idea that I have (I absolutely love it when science and art come together) where I want it to look like a murmuration of starlings. Here's a link of what they look like: How could I make this happen? The only way I can think of to achieve the desired effect is to have varying droplet sizes of ferrofluid suspended in a clear viscous liquid. Im hoping for the...
Hello everyone! I am curious to learn how laboratories handle in-house chip manufacturing using soft lithography for microfluidics research. In the lab where I worked, only the mask for lithography was made by an external company, whereas the mold and chip fabrication were carried out by us. The process of making PDMS chips required around 30 min–1 h of manual work between prepolymer casting, punching/cutting, and plasma bonding. However, the total time required to make them was around 4...
Back
Top