Found chemicals in plastic

New research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) shows that harmful chemicals are released from plastic packaging, which is basically supposed to protect food from impurities.

– It surprised me to find that more than 90 per cent of the everyday food packaging we looked at activated receptors in the hormonal or metabolic system, says lead author of the study and PhD student at NTNU, Sarah Stevens to DinSide.

Stevens and the research team’s findings in the new study have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology.

In the study, they found as many as 9936 different chemicals in a single plastic product, which stores food.

Arousing attention abroad

– Which chemicals did you find in the plastic that are not healthy for us?

– An example of a chemical we have identified is triphenylphosphate, known for its hormone-disrupting effects. We then discovered several phthalates, which are known to be dangerous.

Hormone disruptor

In the study, they tested 36 different plastic packaging products with food in them from Norway, Germany, South Korea, Great Britain and the USA.

They found that many of the products contained chemicals that could be hormone disruptors.

Exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals has been linked to a range of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, reduced fertility and certain cancers, according to the study.

– We found a large chemical diversity in the plastic packaging. No products were like the others, with the exception of three freezer bags from Germany, Great Britain and South Korea, which were chemically and toxicologically very similar. Unfortunately, they were among our most toxic samples, says Stevens.

Children more exposed

The website Study Finds has discussed the study where they go deeper into the findings.

They write, among other things, that children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the chemicals.

The NTNU researchers do not know exactly which of the chemicals cause the negative effects. It’s a bit like looking for needles in a haystack, writes Study Finds.

– Why are children more exposed than adults to the chemicals?

– The main reason is that children are still developing, and hormones play a decisive role in regulating their development. If children are exposed to chemicals at critical developmental stages, such as when the brain is developing, this can lead to negative effects such as neurodevelopmental disorders, says Stevens, before continuing:

– In addition, children absorb more chemicals in relation to their body weight compared to adults. They eat more, breathe more and can thus absorb more chemicals through food, dust or air. Also, their behavior of putting objects in their mouths can lead to a higher intake of toxic plastic chemicals.

“Cocktail effect”

Furthermore, the researchers believe that their findings emphasize the need to reconsider how plastics are produced. They believe plastics should be produced with a simpler design with fewer chemicals to improve safety.

– What does it mean that there are so many chemicals in the plastic packaging we use?

– This has several implications. Our study shows that the more chemicals in the products, the more toxicity we detect. A well-known effect of chemical mixtures is the so-called “cocktail effect”, where stronger toxicity can be due to the sum of slightly toxic compounds that would not be toxic by themselves, explains Stevens.

– The more chemicals, the greater the likelihood that chemicals will be released from the packaging of our food, she says.

Comes with tips

Chicken shock: – Damn it!

Although it is almost impossible to avoid food packaging completely, the researchers offer some tips:

• Take food out of plastic containers and into glass or stainless steel containers for storage, especially when reheating.
• Avoid putting hot food in plastic.
• Choose dry food rather than oily/greasy food when buying packaged goods.
• Prioritize fresh, unpackaged food to reduce chemical exposure.