"Dangerous!! Do not freeze plastic bottles and bags in the freezer," reads a Thai-language Facebook post shared on February 21.
"When plastic is exposed to low temperatures, it will release dioxins. Listen to the advice from Dr Pornthep Siriwanarangsan, president of the Preventive Medicine Association of Thailand."
The video shows an extract from an episode of Thai TV show "Listen to the Reviews" featuring Pornthep.
He removes a bottle of water from a freezer and says: "This bottle, you must not drink it. As the water gets cold, it will release heat which comes in contact with the plastic, which eventually releases dioxins".
Dioxins are a group of toxic compounds found throughout the environment and are mainly a by-product of industrial processes. They accumulate in the food chain, usually in the fatty tissue of animals.
They are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a "known human carcinogen".
At the 54-second mark, a text bubble superimposed on the footage reads: "Plastic + Freezing = Carcinogen."
The video was widely shared on social media in Thailand, including here, here, and here.
However, the claim is false.
Chemists said there was no...
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