These drinks cannot be stored in 304 stainless steel cups

It is true that 304 stainless steel cannot hold milk, carbonated drinks and tea. I am not sure about carbonated drinks and tea, but I have held milk.

It was many years ago, because my glass cup was broken, so I wanted to buy a stainless steel one that is not easy to break. Later, I chose apretty good 304 stainless steel cup.You know me, I have always had a healthy concept, but I was still a pharmacist at that time and didn’t know much about nutrition. So although I carefully selected it and thought it was good, there were still big problems.

The thing is, on the first day my 304 stainless steel cup arrived, I poured milk into it with great enthusiasm because the cup was so clear. After drinking it, I also washed it carefully. I also thought that this stainless steel cup would not break and would accompany me for a long time, but the dream was shattered so quickly.

The next day, when I wanted to drink water again, I accidentally glanced at the edge of the stainless steel cup. There was a circle of black and yellow things like lines, and I couldn’t wash it clean no matter how I washed it. After checking, it turned out to be rusty. I argued with the merchant for this, thinking that there was something wrong with his product. Dia kept emphasizing that I didn't wash it clean and used it incorrectly...

Later, I heard a friend say that stainless steel cups can't be used to hold milk, so I went to check the literature.

1. Can't 304 stainless steel hold milk, carbonated drinks, and tea?

1 Characteristics of 304 stainless steel

First, let's understand the characteristics of 304 stainless steel. 304 stainless steel is one of the most common stainless steels, containing 18% to 20% chromium and 8% to 10.5% nickel and other non-ferrous elements. It is an austenitic stainless steel with lower electrical and thermal conductivity than carbon steel, and has a certain degree of magnetism, but less magnetism than steel. At the same time, its corrosion resistance is also higher than that of ordinary steel.

However, when loading foods such as milk, carbonated drinks and tea, the acidic substances in them will destroy the oxide film on the surface of the stainless steel, and cause elements such as chromium and nickel to gradually dissolve and release into the food. These elements can cause potential harm to human health, so tableware, kitchenware and beverage containers made of 304 stainless steel cannot be used to store foods such as milk, carbonated drinks and tea.

Text/Yuan's Little Pocket

So, when elements such as chromium and nickel are dissolved to a certain concentration, what effects will they have on physical health? Next, let's analyze it step by step.

1) The impact of nickel

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to nickel can cause a series of allergic reactions, including rashes, eczema and contact dermatitis. In addition, there are reports that long-term exposure to nickel-containing environments may lead to health problems such as chronic poor lung structure and permanent irritation. Therefore, in daily life, we should minimize contact with nickel-containing items, maintain good hygiene habits and lifestyles, and avoid excessive exposure to nickel environments.

2) The impact of chromium

Chromium is an important alloying element in steel and is often used in the production of stainless steel. However, the presence of chromium may also have potential effects on physical health. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, high concentrations of chromates are irritating to human skin, eyes and respiratory system.

In addition, studies have shown that long-term exposure to chromium-containing environments may increase the risk of lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and other diseases. Therefore, when using stainless steel products, we should avoid excessive contact with chromium-containing items, and pay attention to maintaining indoor air circulation and ventilation.

3) Impact on human health

Since foods such as milk, carbonated drinks and tea contain certain acidic substances, these substances may destroy the oxide film on the surface of 304 stainless steel, and cause the chromium and nickel elements in them to gradually dissolve and release into the food. Although the hazards of these elements are limited, long-term exposure to foods containing these elements may cause potential harm to human health, including skin allergies, breathing difficulties and other problems. Therefore, in order to protect our health, we should try to avoid using tableware, kitchenware and beverage containers made of 304 stainless steel to store acidic foods such as milk, carbonated drinks and tea.

Therefore, although 304 stainless steel is a high-strength and high-hardness metal material, its corrosion resistance and magnetic properties also make it one of the main representatives of stainless steel materials. However, it should be noted that since it contains elements such as chromium and nickel, which will be released into foods when loading milk, carbonated drinks and tea, tableware, kitchenware and beverage containers made of 304 stainless steel cannot be used to store these acidic foods.

So how can we use 304 stainless steel cups more healthily?

2 How to use 304 stainless steel more healthily?

Although there is no need to restrict the use of stainless steel for loading milk, carbonated drinks and tea, it should be noted that if it is used improperly, such as long-term storage or frequent alternation of hot and cold, it will cause bacteria growth and odor inside the thermos cup, so it needs to be cleaned and maintained in time.

At the same time, when buying a thermos cup, you should choose a detachable or easy-to-clean style to facilitate cleaning and disinfection. For perishable drinks such as milk and carbonated drinks, it is recommended to brew fresh before drinking or clean the cup in time after drinking to ensure the quality and hygiene of the drink.

At this point, you may still be a little worried. Are there any other alternatives to 04 stainless steel as a food-grade and corrosion-resistant material that can be used to make teapots, thermos cups and other utensils? Regarding the issue of loading milk, carbonated drinks and tea, there is actually no need to restrict their use.

But it should be noted that if used improperly, such as long-term storage or frequent hot and cold alternation, it will cause bacteria growth and odor inside the thermos cup, so it needs to be cleaned and maintained in time. At the same time, when buying a thermos cup, you should choose a detachable or easy-to-clean style to facilitate cleaning and disinfection. For perishable drinks such as milk and carbonated drinks, it is recommended to brew fresh before drinking or clean the cup in time after drinking to ensure the quality and hygiene of the drink.

At this point, you may still be a little worried. Is there any vessel that can replace 304 stainless steel?

2. Alternative vessels
We can use glass cups, ceramic cups or plastic cups instead of 304 stainless steel cups.

1 Glass cups and ceramic cups

Glass cups and ceramic cups are more environmentally friendly and easy to clean and maintain. At the same time, they can hold hot drinks.

2 316 stainless steel cup

316 stainless steel has better corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance than 304, and is a high-quality stainless steel material. Therefore, cups made of 316 stainless steel can better maintain the temperature of drinks and may be safer than 304 stainless steel cups. However, it should be noted that, as mentioned earlier, since drinks such as milk and tea contain certain acidic substances, even cups made of 316 stainless steel should avoid long-term storage and repeated heating to reduce the release of metal elements. At the same time, if you pursue health and safety, you can also consider using titanium cups.

3 Titanium cups

We can also choose titanium cups, which are also a stainless steel material, but different from 304.

1) Advantages of titanium cups

Lightweight: Under the same capacity, titanium metal is 43% of the weight of stainless steel, so titanium cups are lighter and more convenient to carry out;

Antibacterial: Titanium has an antibacterial effect and can extend the shelf life of drinks.

High temperature resistance: Titanium, as an inert metal, will not react with other substances below 1000 degrees, so it can be safely used in various hot drinks such as tea, milk, and beverages.

However, there are also some disadvantages of titanium cups that need to be noted.

2) Disadvantages of titanium cups

Expensive: Titanium materials themselves are relatively expensive, so compared with other thermos cups, titanium cups are usually sold at a higher price. If you think it is too expensive, we can also choose titanium cups from domestic brands such as Supor, which are much cheaper.

Fortunately, they are all thermos cups, which are more practical and very safe.

Not suitable for cold drinks: Since the thermal conductivity of titanium is not as good as that of stainless steel, there are often more seams and gaps in the titanium cups made, making titanium cups unsuitable for cold drinks;

Easy to scratch: Compared with stainless steel, titanium cups have a higher hardness, but are also relatively easy to scratch, so you need to pay attention to protection when carrying and using them.

4 Ceramic coated stainless steel cup

In addition, we can also choose ceramic coated stainless steel cups with acid and alkali resistance, which will not release elements such as chromium and nickel, while also maintaining the excellent characteristics of stainless steel cups. It is a healthier and more practical choice.

5 Plastic cups

For cold drinks such as carbonated beverages, plastic cups can also be selected.

Plastic cups are light and easy to carry, but you need to pay attention to the selection of safe food-grade materials and avoid long-term contact with high-temperature water or acidic foods.

3. Summary
In short, 304 stainless steel should not be used for milk, carbonated beverages, and tea. If you want to drink these beverages, we can choose containers suitable for them. The specific selection can be based on their unique advantages and disadvantages, and needs to be selected according to personal needs and preferences.