As well as, reducing creates deep grooves within the plastic the place micro organism can linger, which makes used plastic reducing boards very troublesome to completely disinfect in a dishwasher. You actually must be utilizing a brush to get into these grooves. So when you do use a plastic board, decide to provide it a very good scrub your self as a substitute of putting it within the dishwasher.
In a single older study5 out of the College of Wisconsin, researchers positioned a number of micro organism, together with E. coli and Salmonella, on each used and new wooden and plastic reducing boards. The wooden reducing boards persistently outperformed the plastic boards by way of bacterial security. Ethical of the story? Wood reducing boards could grow to be extra sanitary than plastic, and show higher to your hormonal well being (supplied they don’t use plastic-containing glues to stay the picket items collectively).Â
Some plastic reducing boards are additionally coated with antibacterial substances to forestall micro organism from rising, however this solely trades in micro organism progress for different chemical substances, usually endocrine disrupters. A quite common antibacterial chemical used for such functions is Microban, which accommodates the antibacterial ingredient triclosan6. The FDA doesn’t acknowledge triclosan as secure on account of its hormone-disrupting properties6. Whereas triclosan has been phased out of handwash and sanitizers7, it nonetheless lurks in different on a regular basis merchandise—together with reducing boards.
Some individuals additionally use sturdy chemical substances, resembling bleach diluted with water, to scrub plastic reducing boards. That creates the fearful risk of contaminating your meals with such chemical substances. For those who’ve ever put tomato or turmeric-rich meals right into a plastic container, you’ll see that it turns crimson or yellow. It’s because the substances have seeped into the matrix of the plastic. Harsh cleansing brokers may be seeping into your board, doubtlessly contaminating the meals you chop on it.