79 types of toxic substances that cause cancer, mutations, endocrine and reproductive problems
A new study found that more than 3,600 chemicals are leaked into food during the storage, processing, and packaging processes worldwide. Of these, 79 are chemicals that have been reported to cause cancer, genetic mutations, and endocrine and reproductive problems. This is what CNN reported based on a paper by researchers from Switzerland, the U.S., the U.K., and the Czech Republic published in Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology on the 16th (local time).
Experts were surprised by the scale of the study results. Professor Martin Wagner (biology) of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who reviewed the paper, said, “This is the first study to systematically link human exposure to chemicals used in food packaging and processing materials,” and “It shows that food contact materials are a source of important chemicals for humans.”
Even if food packaging complies with government regulations, these chemicals may not be completely safe, said Dr. Jane Munke, executive director and chief science officer of the Food Packaging Forum (FPF), a nonprofit organization based in Zurich, Switzerland. “We don’t know exactly how much is in food packaging or other food-contact materials, or how much is in cosmetics, personal care products, textiles, and so on,” she said. “We need to require companies to disclose what types of chemicals and how much they put in their food or in their plastic water bottles.”
One of the chemicals detected in both food and human bodies in this study is bisphenol A (BPA). It was used in baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula containers until parents began boycotting them more than a decade ago. BPA has been linked to fetal abnormalities, low birth weight, and brain and behavioral problems in infants and toddlers, and to diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, cancer, and premature death in adults.
Perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, were also included. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), perfluorinated compounds are present in the blood of approximately 98% of Americans.
Another chemical that researchers have found in humans is phthalates, which have been linked to genital malformations and undescended testicles in male babies, and low sperm counts and testosterone levels in adult men. Studies have also linked phthalates to childhood obesity, asthma, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and premature death.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers compared 14,000 chemicals known to come into contact with food during the packaging process with an international database that monitors human exposure to chemical toxins. They also looked at national and regional databases that track chemicals in human blood, urine, breast milk and tissue samples to compare those found in people with those known to migrate into food during food processing.
“Just because you have a chemical in your body doesn’t mean it’s necessarily harmful, but you shouldn’t be born with any chemicals,” said Melanie Benesch, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a U.S.-based environmental advocacy group. “The bigger question is, do we really need these chemicals in our food processing? If there’s a chemical that could be harmful, we need to eliminate every possible avenue of exposure.”
Achieving these lofty goals may not be easy. In November 2022, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the limitations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s food safety monitoring, which has no legal authority over U.S. food manufacturers.
But Jim Jones, FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee last week that the agency is making food chemical safety a top priority. “There are critical gaps that need to be addressed as we work to strengthen food chemical safety,” he said. “Having immediate access to safety information and consumer exposure data on chemicals that require review will help us conduct faster, more robust safety assessments and reassessments and take timely regulatory action when needed.”
The FDA will hold its first public hearing on Sept. 25 focused on strengthening its evaluation of chemicals found in food.
Source: kormedi.com
