Potentially dangerous chemicals may be present in food packaging
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Food packaging and utensils commonly contain up to 68 “forever chemicals” that can pose health risks, many of which regulators are potentially unaware of. There is a gender.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a type of synthetic chemical used to make products such as nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing. The bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms in PFAS are so strong that it can take hundreds to thousands of years for the bonds to break down.
Many of these chemicals are associated with adverse health outcomes, including: cancer and reproduction and immunity problem.
“There are thousands of these chemicals,” he says. Birgit Geueke At the Swiss Food Packaging Forum organization. “We wanted to understand what information is known about the presence of PFAS in food packaging.”
Geweke and his colleagues analyzed 1,312 studies conducted around the world that looked in detail at chemicals that come into contact with food that can be generated during manufacturing, packaging, and cooking. He then cross-referenced these chemicals with his list of known PFAS.
The research team found that 68 types of PFAS are commonly present across food-contact materials, such as packaging and utensils. Of these, 61 were not included in the regulatory list mandating the use of PFAS because they were not previously known to be present in such substances.
Of the 68 PFAS, only 39 have been tested for toxicity. One of the substances analyzed was perfluorooctanoic acid, which has been shown to have the potential to cause cancer in humans, based on limited evidence that it can cause testicular and kidney cancer. It is classified, Geueke said.
“I think it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to minimize the use of PFAS,” she says. Regulators around the world are working in the right direction, she says. For example, the European Union recently proposed banning most PFAS.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
