Question from kris
Hi Debra,
Was wondering if you’ve come across an article by Healthy Child Healthy World regarding the safety of silicone?
healthychild.org/easy-steps/from-bottle-nipples-to-baked-goods-is-silicone-safe/
Was wondering what your thoughts were on this. I was planning of purchasing a few silicone items for baking but am now not sure what to do.
Would plan B be aluminum with parchment paper?
Thank you for your help.
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Question from kris
Debra,
Would “silicone jacketed handles” on a double boiler or steamer be of any health concern? Would the food absorb fumes from them?
Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
With all due respect to Healthy Child Healthy World, I can’t consider an article by them to be a “source” document. Im consider scientific writings about studies to be source documents, and I don’t see any mention of a source document for this article. Did I miss it?
I couldn’t find a source document to back up what they are saying.
I did find an abstract of a paper called “Determination of siloxanes in silicone products and potential migration to milk, formula and liquid simulants.“ which says “Migration tests were performed by exposing milk, infant formula and the liquid simulants to silicone baking sheets with known concentrations of the six siloxanes at 40°C. No siloxanes were detected in milk or infant formula after 6 h of direct contact with the silicone baking sheet plaques, indicating insignificant migration of the siloxanes to milk or
infant formula.”
My personal policy for using silicone is I use silicone baking sheets and spatulas, and just bought a muffin tin coated with silicone. I also use parchment paper, which is paper coated with silicone (I use the unbleached brown parchment paper). To me, these are safer than standard nonstick finish or absorption of metals from metal baking sheets.
I don’t use any colored silicone because I am uncertain about the colorants and their migration.
I don’t see any problem with silicone handles. Silicone does not ourgas, to the best of my knowledge and experience.
Hey Debra!
Which brand of spatula do you use? I have been trying to find a clear silicone spatula but struggling to find a reputable non toxic brand.
Thanks,
Holly
I only use wooden cooking utensils.
Hi Debra, Do you mind sharing what brand your silicone coated baking pans are?
Once again, so grateful for this resource. Thanks you!
It’s USA Pans Click on the link to see the whole collection at amazon.com.
Ok, pls forgive this lengthy post, but there’s no way to be brief about this (especially with so much corruption taking place in the medical community):
There are different types of silicone — some leave a residue on your fingers if you slide your finger over it. Others don’t. Which one is safer? It’s literally impossible to tell since manufacturers are not required to disclose the type of silicone used. However, what I DO know is this:
http://www.safbaby.com/is-silicone-in-baby-products-and-bakeware-really-safe
Based on research that I’ve done, silicone allergy is on the rise. Why? One of the many reasons is due to the dramatic increase in it’s use. Just like the amount of people suffering from latex allergies increased since the 80’s
“This increase in the use of latex has resulted in a dramatic rise in allergy to latex”
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/latex_allergy/page2.htm
it’s no surprise that the numbers are climbing for silicone. But don’t expect to read about it in the medical journals anytime soon, because of it’s widespread use in virtually every medical product out there, from needles (for blood draw to I.V. use) to implants (even the so-called “safer” saline implants b/c the shell is made of silicone). It’s widespread b/c it makes the medical staff’s job easier and the products cheaper to make.
As I said, there’s been a dramatic increase in the use of silicone over the last few years, and as a result, the risk of developing an allergy to it is quite high. And I know from personal experience, unfortunately (and I never even baked with it! My constant exposure to it was from the adhesive under my dental crowns and a long list of supplements that I was taking. ) I suspect that the higher temp’s involved in baking increases the wear and tear of the silicone (flake-off risk) into the food, body, etc. If it happens with breast implants that are “suppose to be” stronger (or less likely to cause problems) than bakeware as I learned from this blogger, a pharmaceutical rep whose life was turned upside down from her saline implants):
http://dangersofbreastimplants.blogspot.com/
And for those of you who don’t think you’re constantly exposed to it, think again. Silicone use has increased dramatically (more than EVER). Just to name a few, it can found in: supplements, bakeware, cell phone/ipad covers, baby bottle nipples, housecleaning tools (handles), toothbrush handles, electric razor handles, dental adhesives under crowns, saline breast implants in silicone shells, shoes, etc…)
Debra, Re: your comment:
“I did find an abstract of a paper called “Determination of siloxanes in silicone products and potential migration to milk, formula and liquid simulants.“ which says “Migration tests were performed by exposing milk, infant formula and the liquid simulants to silicone baking sheets with known concentrations of the six siloxanes at 40°C. No siloxanes were detected in milk or infant formula after 6 h of direct contact with the silicone baking sheet plaques, indicating insignificant migration of the siloxanes to milk or infant formula.” ”
Personally, I’m skeptical about this study b/c:
– 6 hrs of direct contact is insignificant when compared to daily exposure over a prolonged period of time
– i have to wonder about the testing criteria (threshold) they were testing for (i.e., were they looking for under 10 ppm (parts per million) or 100 ppm? e.g., Many supplement co’s play the #’s game and slap a label on a product that states that it’s dairy-free even though it was grown on milk. How can they do this? Because they claim to have removed the dairy proteins that causes an allergic reaction in *most* people and have “confirmed” this w/lab tests that have sensitivity set to a certain value (eg. under 10ppm as an example), so they can get a negative result. However, if u send it to a lab that uses a more sensitive setting (a lower threshold), it’ll test positive. I know this from personal experience (reacting to a so-called dairy-free probiotic and then having the manuf confirm that it was grown on dairy).
– lastly, I have to wonder who sponsored the study (I don’t have time to vfy but regardless, the 6 hr contact time discredits it as far as i’m concerned.
Sorry for the long comment, but I hope this helps some of out there in your search for the truth.
Thank you. I am researching every day but there are not enough hours for me alone to find everything, so I always appreciate receiving the research of others. This is a subject where we don’t have all the data.
Healthy Child Healthy World is now saying that siloxanes (linked to reproductive harm, in animal studies, and other effects) are found in silicone. They migrate into baked goods. They are fat soluble.
I’ve been using silicone treated parchment, with unbleached paper. I think it’s time to just grease the dang steel cookie sheet again, with organic coconut butter, and be done with it.
When I received this comment I went back and looked again at the original article from Healthy Child Healthy World. You can read it for yourself at Healthy Child Healthy World: From Bottle Nipples to Baked Goods: Is Silicone Safe? The recommendation the article makes is that silicone baking mats, silicone-coated baking parchment, and silicone bakeware are all safer than Teflon-type nonstick finishes, and I would add, perhaps safer than baking directly on the metal pan itself.
Last night I had a chat with a friend who designs items made of silicone and has them manufactured. He said in his experience there are different grades of silicone and sometimes pure silicone is mixed with other materials. In the industry, silicone is considered to be totally inert and a great substitute for latex for those with latex allergies.
Until I can get more studies about the dangers and more information on the different types of silicone and how to identify them, I personally am going to continue to use and recommend silicone with reservations, as I always have. But I’m continuing to research it and see what I can find.
Part of the problem, again, is lack of labeling and disclosure. Labels say simply “silicone.”
I’m wondering what brand of brown parchment you use. I was using Beyond Gourmet but it is recycled and I am concerned that things like cash register receipts with BPA could be in it and anyway, the paper smells, maybe it is something to disinfect it.
I actually use If Your Care brand, which is made from FSC certified paper. The box is recycled, but not the parchment paper.
Hi Debra,
I am multi-chemical sensitive to the point that I wear a painter’s mask to avoid terrible headaches from vehicle exhaust, off-gassing and fragrances or chemicals in general. When I couldn’t find a mask sized small at local stores, I looked for one on Amazon.com. They offered the 3M mask I’ve been using; they also carried one made of silicon — supposed to be more comfortable. It was more comfortable. However, every time I wore it when I went to town, I ended up with a terrible headache. Before using any mask, I subject them to heat by leaving them outside in a closed up camper shell during summers in the desert for a month. Even after that severe treatment, I noticed my silicone mask still has an odor that doesn’t seem to go away. This just happens to be my experience.
And it may be that the type of silicone used in your mask may be different from silicones used in cookware. Unfortunately, manufacturers are not required by law to disclose what materials are used in many industrial products.
Hi Debra, I just bought the vegetable steamer from Xtrema that has the two red silicone baskets..Would they be safe since they are red..I really like them..Love your new web design..Easy to navigate..Thank you..
I have had many discussions with the folks at Xtrema and trust they wouldn’t sell anything toxic. They know what is in their products. I’m not concerned about their silicone. I just don’t know about other brands.
Hi Debra – what color would natural, “uncolored” silicone be, so I know what to look for?
I use Silpats, which are a kind of brown color, and silicone-coated baking pans, where the silicone is clear. I don’t know enough about the manufacture of silicone to know what it’s natural color is, but I’m sure it’s not bright blue!