Woman warns others about writing on plastic bags
Images adapted from: Wirintorn Diloktharadol
It’s always convenient to buy food from stalls and eat at home, but you might need to be extra careful after reading this story.
On 13th October 2019, a Facebook user named Wirintorn Diloktharadol posted a series of photos revealing a bag of congee with a pink marker marks on it to let customers know the contents of the dish.
It says ‘Egg’
Image credit: Wirintorn Diloktharadol
Other photos were of her opening the bag and pouring the contents into a bowl. A light pink tint can be seen on the regular white congee can then be clearly seen. Ms. Wirintorn speculated that the marker ink seeped through the plastic bag and into the food inside.
Scientist confirmed that this was real
Last Tuesday, Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant, a respectable scientist in Thailand who often gives scientific-based explanations about strange and confusing happenings, shared a post on his Facebook to clarify what had happened.
Image credit: Wirintorn Diloktharadol
He said that it’s possible for the ink to get through the plastic bag surface because plastics’ molecules can be expanded, especially in high temperatures, and gives way for air and moisture – in this case, the ink from the marker.
In addition, Dr. Jessada mentioned that colour tints in marker ink can lead to cancer if consumed excessively and didn’t recommend people writing on plastic bags containing food.Â
Be more careful with the food you buy
We’re glad Ms. Wirintorn shared her story, along with Dr. Jessada providing a scientific explanation behind the occurrence. We hope everybody pays more attention to what you’re consuming for your own health.Â
Writing on plastic bags this is still a common practice with food stalls, so hopefully we’ll see this happening less!
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