United States: A number of dangerous chemicals are migrating from food packaging into food and have been found to be present in human bodies, and a new study shows how much.
However, the question arises whether all of these chemicals are, in fact, so dangerous to health, at least when consumed in the given doses.
More about the news
Writing on this analysis in the Monday edition of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, the paper established that of the 3,601 FCCs looked for in human samples, urine, blood, and breast milk were detected.
According to the researchers, such chemicals, including bisphenols (used in plastics) and PFAS (used in nonstick coatings and waterproof clothing, among others), have been associated with health risks.
According to Dr. Jane Muncke, co-author of the study, “Food packaging — and other types of food contact articles, like kitchenware, food processing equipment and food storage containers — can leach their chemical constituents into foodstuffs,” Yahoo Life reported.
“When people ingest foodstuffs, these so-called food contact chemicals can enter into their bodies. In our study, we show that 3,601 known food-contact chemicals have been detected in people. Some of these — 79 — are of high concern due to their hazard properties,” Muncke added.
More study is needed
The study also found out that the risks regarding the effects of a large number of other chemicals, such as synthetic antioxidants and oligomers present in plastics, to name but a few, are widely unknown due to the lack of enough studies that would have been conducted to determine their effects.
As per Muncke, we are not aware of the health effects of every chemical that penetrates into our bodies via contact with food packaging.
Muncke said, “We know that many chemicals leach from food packaging into foodstuffs, but lack hazard data and information on human exposure for most,” Yahoo Life reported.
Dangers from PFAs and related chemicals
However, we do know about the risks of PFAs and bisphenols. PFAs have been associated with diseases and disorders such as cancer, hormone dysfunction, and a compromised immune system, whereas bisphenols are associated with hypertension, type two diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
In February of this year, the FDA said that manufacturers are no longer selling greasing-proofing products containing PFAs for food packaging in the US.
These include popcorn bags you pop in the microwave, takeout containers, food wrappers, and even pet food bags.
Muncke said, “This is a very good and important development but not enough,” and, “There are a dozen more chemicals known to be of high concern to human health, leaching from food packaging and measured in people.”
Muncke also pointed out that most of these chemicals can be used in other forms of merchandise and not exclusive to food containers – and the fact the presence of these chemicals within people doesn’t explain how they got into our bodies.
However, according to her, banning these chemicals from food contact materials would help in reducing human exposure and “most likely could contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases that are increasing, such as neurological disorders, immune system disorders, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and reproductive disorders.”
She added, “So the FDA could play a very important role here by banning the use of these known, highly concerning chemicals from food contact articles.”