Here’s a piece of research that affects our health, but can be readily addressed by all of us. Comments afterwards.
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More than 3,000 chemicals from
food packaging have infiltrated our bodies
A new study shows the extent to which chemicals
are finding their way into human bodies.
The Washington Post
September 16, 2024
Shrink-wrap sealed around a piece of raw meat. Takeout containers filled with restaurant leftovers. Plastic bottles filled with soft drinks.
These are just a few types of food packaging that surround humans every day. And a new study released Monday shows the chemical toll of all that wrapping — and how it might affect the human body.
Researchers from Switzerland and other countries discovered that of the roughly 14,000 known chemicals in food packaging, 3,601 — or about 25 percent — have been found in the human body, whether in samples of blood, hair or breast milk.
Those chemicals include metals, volatile organic compounds, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, phthalates and many others known to disrupt the endocrine system and cause cancer or other diseases. The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, didn’t directly examine the link to these illnesses. But the researchers say their inventory of chemicals can help future research into health risks. Jane Muncke, the chief scientific officer of the Food Packaging Forum and one of the paper’s authors, said …
“There are known hazardous chemicals
that are known to be linked with adverse
human health outcomes. And these
chemicals leach out of packaging.”
Scientists have known for many years that chemicals can spill out of food packaging into the food itself. How many chemicals — and in what quantities — depends on the type of packaging and the type of food.
High temperatures can cause chemicals to leach more quickly into food, which is why scientists recommend avoiding microwaving food in takeout containers. Foods that are high in fat or high in acidity also tend to absorb more chemicals from their packaging, as do foods that are tucked into smaller containers — the more cramped the container, the more contact it has with the food inside. Muncke recalled a recent flight where she was given a tiny container of salad dressing.
“They served the salad with a 15 milliliter
little plastic bottle with olive oil and
vinegar that you could pour over it. I
thought, ‘Well, I’m not doing that.’”
To conduct their analysis, scientists made an inventory of the chemicals known to be in food packaging or food processing equipment, and then searched global tissue databases for evidence that the chemicals had been found in the human body. R. Thomas Zoeller, an emeritus professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who was not involved in the research, said in an email …
“We don’t think about how the (mostly)
plastic packaging adds chemicals to our
food, but it’s an important source of human
exposures. This is an early indication that
harmful chemicals – largely unregulated –
are making it into the human population.”
Most of the chemicals leaching from food packaging come from plastics, but not all of them. …
“Probably the worst one is recycled
paper and cardboard. And I know
that’s a hard one to stomach.”
Recycling paper, cardboard or plastic for food packaging leads to nonfood grade inks mixed in next to food, she explained, adding to the chemical risks.
In a statement responding to the study, Erich Shea, a spokesperson for the American Chemistry Council, a chemical trade group, noted that its members do extensive scientific analyses to verify the safety of their materials. he added …
“The report references broad cate-
gories of chemistries, each having
unique uses and profiles, so it is
problematic to group them all together.”
Scientists say that there is a need for better testing of food packaging and further regulations on what is considered safe to put food in. Muncke said:
“We need to be thinking about con-
structive ways forward, how we can en-
sure the safety of these materials. What
worries me a lot is that’s not happening.”
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As seems to be the usual way of perspectives, scientists uncover a problem and the responsible industry does its best to deny the problem. I look for what the healthiest outcome might be, and what I might lose – e.g. increased costs – if I adopt the healthier guidelines.
I know that restaurants increasingly provide take-out containers if we can’t finish the food we ordered. And I doubt the restauranteurs are knowledgeable about the chemicals that may be in those containers. However, the research suggests that if we use the packaged food sooner than later, then fewer chemicals have a chance to leach into the food. So – we consume that food at our next opportunity. Adding D’s comments …
“It is wise, when looking at foods to purchase, to pay attention to how it is packaged, and try to make the best decision possible. It is not easy when so much plastic is used in packaging.
“At home, it is easier to control. Using glass or ceramic containers for extra food and food storage should become a priority for people, as they contain no chemicals that will leach into your food.
“There is no easy solution to the bombardment of chemicals in your system, but do your best. And try to make decisions that work for you.”
