I get the Steam In Bag frozen vegetables from ShopRite. Microwave the unopened plastic bag, it expands to the size of a small pillow, then open and serve. Then throw away the plastic bag. I assume that the plastic being used isn't too bad for my health. The vegetables taste fresh and crisp out of the bag.
Microwaving a single bag of frozen peas and carrots won't kill you. The same goes for an x-ray at the dentist, using 70s-style tanning oil during a day at the beach or enjoying a stiff drink after a long day at work. Firearms are the only readily available consumer product with a statistically high potential for death with a single use (a limited number of other quasi-legal items, like fireworks, explosives and recreational drugs are also potentially dangerous, but to a much lesser extent as they are generally subject to far more stringent standards as to use and access). That said, there's no credible disagreement that regular x-rays, frequent enhanced sun exposure or excessive alcohol consumption are all statistically likely to shorten your life.
Research concerning the consumption of plastics, and the byproducts thereof, is less clear, in no small part, because plastics are now so pervasive in the environment, including within all living creatures, that it's challenging to even isolate and study their specific impact. That said, there's no debate that petroleum-based products are carcinogenic at a certain measure. They ultimately can cause cancer and kill you. So, again, will heating a single plastic bag of frozen peas and carrots kill you? No. But, what is less clear is the impact on repeated, long-term heating of such bags containing food that you ingest. What is even less clear is what happens when you combine such ingestion of plastic compounds with repeated exposure to other dangerous elements over a lifetime.
In our house, we often eat frozen vegetables. It's convenient and they taste as fresh as possible when what we want is out-of-season. But, for us, the fact that the veggies don't taste toxic doesn't mean that their packaging is safe. As preventative measures, we always wash fruits and vegetables (frozen or otherwise) and, if needed, heat them (steaming when possible) without ever using the presumptively carcinogenic packaging. If it turns out that we're wrong, and it's healthy to heat things in plastic, we'll have collectively wasted a few days of our lives needlessly obsessing over vegetables. But, if we're correct, we'll be excited that our kids, and their kids, got a few extra months or years on the planet. For us, it's an easy trade. But, that's just us. No judgment on those who disagree.
