Over the past few years, silicone products have become an in-demand commodity in the global market. One of the main reasons is the rise of conscious consumerism where people are now anxious about using harmful plastic items.
Silicone material, although synthetically made, has been proclaimed to be non-toxic and a better alternative to plastic. However, one argument is left hanging – is it really safe to use? To be more enlightened about the particular matter, here are the underlying ideas you need to know about silicone. Let’s tackle them one by one.
What is Silicone?
First things, let’s avoid the confusion about silicon and silicone for they are two distinct things. Silicon is a chemical element that is ranked 14th on the periodic table, whereas silicone is a synthetic substance mainly composed of silicon, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.
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Generally, silicone can be regarded as part of the rubber family but if the term plastics is described extensively, it is a combination of synthetic plastic polymer and synthetic rubber. This is why it can also be used to create hard malleable rubber-like products, hard resins, and spreadable fluids.
Since silicone is malleable and flexible, it can be shaped and hardened or softened into basically anything. Though it is like plastic, this material is considered unique among other plastics due to its durability and temperature resistance features, aside from its low reactivity with other chemicals.
Furthermore, while silicone is water-resistant, its gas permeability is also relatively high, making it suitable for industrial and medical applications where airflow is necessary. More than that, it is also non-stick, non-staining, and easy to clean, making it a well-known substance used in producing toys, baby products, cookware, bakeware, and kitchenware.
Is Silicone More Expensive than Plastics and Rubbers?
Silicon is considered the second most abundant element in the world since it is made from sand. However, although it is readily available, its cost is comparatively high to other plastics and rubbers due to the conversion process of sand into silicon is pricey. Also, while it is in trend, silicone is not widely used.
Nevertheless, many businesses think that the cost of silicone is reasonable seeing that it is the best in class elastomer for extreme temperature environments where other plastics and rubbers cannot function.
Is Silicone Safe or Harmful to Use?
Several experts and authorities regard silicone as safe for food use since silicone rubber does not react with food and beverages, or even produce any hazardous gas. Also, there were relative reports in 1979 from the US Food and Drug Administration about silicon dioxides (raw material for silicone products) being safe for food-grade utilization.
On the other hand, some ongoing reports claim that silicone is harmful. How come? There are chances that some silicones contain harmful chemicals and these tend to pass onto our food – although they are not intentionally added. They are the impurities that resulted from silicone production. In order to avoid these impurities, it is best to use platinum-grade silicone.
Still, silicone impurities can also be intentionally added, and these are found in silicon rubber or added to personal care products (additives like phthalates in soaps, shampoos, lotions, nail polish, etc.). For that reason alone, silicone components may be deemed toxic as well.
Moreover, be mindful in choosing quality silicone bakeware for there are some lower qualities that contain harmful chemicals. These products discolor over time or produce odor while cooking. But fret not, for you can quickly avoid these low-quality silicones.
To verify the silicone quality, simply pinch and twist a bit part of the silicone rubber. If the twisted part displays white color, then it signifies the material is not pure silicone. This is because pure silicone does not change its color.
What’s more, note that any food contact product, including silicone cookware and kitchenware, must conform to the FDA guidelines. These guidelines allow the use of silicone polymers in cookware and kitchenware. But know this, unhealthy additives like phthalates are regarded as safe beneath these guidelines. Hence, FDA approval does not give you the assurance that the silicone products you use in the kitchen are truly secure.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, there is no doubt that silicone substance is beneficial for many applications. Also, it can be considered a better alternative to plastic for it is durable, temperature resistant, possesses high gas permeability, and lasts longer. Moreover, avoid low-quality silicones and invest in platinum-grade ones.
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