Aunt Song was lucky enough to win an electric kettle in the supermarket, which added a lot of convenience to her life. In the past, she used to boil water on the stove, but now with this electric kettle, boiling water is much easier.
Aunt Song loves this free electric kettle very much, and uses it to make tea almost every day.
One day, her daughter came home to visit Aunt Song. When her daughter saw Aunt Song using this electric kettle, she quickly stopped her from drinking the hot water in the kettle.
Aunt Song was confused and didn't understand her daughter's reaction. The daughter patiently explained that the body of this electric kettle is made of plastic, and there is a high chance that microplastics will be released under high temperatures, which can then be ingested by the human body.
Aunt Song was shocked when she heard this, she never thought that this seemingly ordinary small electric kettle might pose such a big threat to her health.
Avoid using plastic kettles
At present, most of the electric kettles sold on the market are made of lightweight plastic materials, and their low prices and diverse colors have indeed attracted the attention of many consumers.
However, it should be noted that some substandard plastic electric kettles may release harmful substances in the process of boiling water.
According to research in the journal Natural Food, traditional plastic kettles may release more than 10 million microplastic particles into a liter of boiling water during the boiling process. When making tea or coffee, these tiny particles inevitably transfer to the cup and end up in the body.
When these microplastics enter our bodies, they pose a serious threat to our health. They have the potential to adsorb disease-causing contaminants and microorganisms. In addition, substances such as bisphenol A and phthalates present in plastics can interfere with endocrine and affect the normal growth of cells.
Several studies have shown that these microplastics are strongly linked to a variety of diseases, including cancer and infertility.
Researchers have exposed cells to bisphenol A, and over time, these cells have developed varying degrees of abnormality. These cells exposed to plastic components have higher levels of oxidative stress, indicating that the cells are damaged.
Animal studies have also shown that microplastics can cause inflammation and organ damage, as well as affect reproduction, metabolism, and gut bacteria.
A case-control study evaluated the association of exposure to plastic products on the incidence of uterine fibroids. Scientists have found that the more frequently women are exposed to plastics, the more likely they are to develop uterine leiomyomas.
Experts believe that endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A can mimic estrogen at low concentrations, increasing the risk of uterine and breast cancer in women.
Stainless steel kettles should also pay attention to excessive heavy metals
In fact, many people understand that plastic products are not safe, so stainless steel is often preferred when picking items that require exposure to high temperatures. However, stainless steel is not 100% safe.
Stainless steel is an alloy that contains elements like iron, chromium, nickel, etc. Some stainless steel products of substandard quality may contain excessive heavy metals, especially during the heating process, which may be released into the water that comes into contact with the object.
Among them, nickel is extremely harmful to the human body. It is a water-soluble heavy metal that is able to be absorbed by the lungs and excreted through the kidneys.
In 2022, a series of studies were conducted in the UK to investigate the possible health effects of boiling water in stainless steel electric kettles. The study found that nickel dissolved from a kettle affected the health of at least one in 10 British people.
The toxicity of nickel involves multiple systems in the body, and several studies have shown that it is strongly linked to common health problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and asthma. More notably, nickel is one of the culprits of various cancers due to its ability to affect gene expression.
Allergic reactions are one of the most common symptoms of nickel poisoning, which manifests as redness and itching after skin contact with nickel. Sometimes, patients may also experience headaches and nausea.
Global statistics show that about 13-18% of women and 3-6% of men are allergic to nickel. Experts recommend that for people with known nickel allergies, it's best to choose a stainless steel kettle with a lower nickel content to reduce potential health risks.
Even if people are not allergic to nickel, they should minimize their exposure to nickel as much as possible. Because the long-term accumulation of nickel in the body may not only cause allergic reactions, but also cause some degree of damage to cells.
Several basic studies have shown that nickel can have an epigenetic effect on the genetic material DNA, that is, it interferes with the normal expression of genes without changing the DNA sequence. These effects may affect the normal cell life cycle and differentiation process, which in turn can lead to the development of various cancers.
What are the safer options for boiling water besides an electric kettle?
Seeing this, the reader is not only a little puzzled. Stainless steel is durable and lightweight, and the electric hot water currently sold on the market is mainly made of stainless steel. Stainless steel can release heavy metals, so what electric kettle can use?
However, the situation mentioned above generally occurs in unqualified stainless steel products, and the stainless steel safety index produced in accordance with national regulations is still very high.
When buying a stainless steel electric kettle, the first thing to do is to make sure that it is made of food-grade stainless steel. This material is usually able to withstand high temperatures and is highly resistant to corrosion. In the process of boiling water, no harmful substances are released, ensuring the hygiene of hot water.
The heating element is the core component of the kettle, which is generally made of other materials. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a kettle with a hidden heating element, that is, a kettle with a flat bottom. This not only avoids direct contact between the components and water, but also facilitates the cleaning of limescale.
When it comes to choosing products that come into contact with high temperatures, glass is often the wisest choice.
Glass is an amorphous amorphous solid whose main component is silica. Unlike crystalline substances such as quartz, glass molecules are arranged in a disordered manner, which not only makes the glass not have a well-defined melting point, but gradually softens within a certain range.
This chemistry gives the glass its high stability. Glass neither dissolves chemical components at high temperatures nor reacts easily with other substances. Therefore, the use of glass kettles does not pollute the water quality and ensures the purity of drinking water.
In addition, the transparent nature of the glass electric kettle allows users to clearly see the status of the water and avoid overflow due to excessive water addition, and can easily check the cleanliness of the inside of the kettle to maintain the hygiene of the kettle.
However, it is worth noting that some electric kettles only have the bottle made of glass, and other parts such as the lid are still plastic. When buying, you should choose an all-glass electric kettle whenever possible.
Finally, it is important to clean the kettle regularly after having a safe and reliable kettle.
In some hard water areas, limescale is a common problem. Not only does it reduce the efficiency of the kettle, but it can also pose a potential threat to human health. Bacteria and other microorganisms may be parasitic in the scale, and if it is not cleaned for a long time, it may even breed harmful substances, causing health hazards to the human body.
Limescale cleaning is not difficult, and it can be easily removed by choosing a special detergent or using a natural cleaning method such as lemon and white vinegar.
Bibliography:
Zhu Y, Jiao X, Meng W, Yu X, Cheng H, Shen G, Wang X, Tao S. Drinking Water in Rural China: Water Sources, Treatment, and Boiling Energy. Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Apr 25; 57(16):6465-6473.
Müller FD, Hackethal C, Schmidt R, Kappenstein O, Pfaff K, Luch A. Metal release from coffee machines and electric kettles. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2015; 32(11):1959-64.
Berg T, Petersen A, Pedersen GA, Petersen J, Madsen C. The release of nickel and other trace elements from electric kettles and coffee machines. Food Addit Contam. 2000 Mar; 17(3):189-96.