18 hours Ago By Huey Freeman
Out of the more than 14,000 chemicals currently tracked for potential health risks, 3,601 were found in human bodies. This is roughly 25 percent of the total, raising concerns about potential links to non-communicable diseases and reproductive issues, the authors found. The study reviewed data from biomonitoring programs, studies, and metabolomic databases.
There’s evidence that certain chemicals might be related to the growing number of non-communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases, which are non-contagious diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the main cause of death globally and a growing health problem. Benzophenone, used in the manufacture of plastic packaging, is a “presumed carcinogen,” the researchers reported.
It is among several food contact chemicals detected in humans, including styrene, formaldehyde, and cadmium. Although the researchers cast a wide net, Christopher Kassotis, assistant professor in Wayne State University’s Department of Pharmacology, said the list of harmful chemicals is presumably longer, because their search was restricted to specific databases and biomonitoring programs. Kassotis, who directs a research lab that studies hazardous chemicals, said there are more than 350,000 chemicals and mixtures registered on the global market, with as many as hundreds of thousands without sufficient toxicological characterization.
“It offers an important opportunity for prevention and protection of health,” said Geueke, senior scientist of Food Packaging Forum, a non-profit foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland. “Our research establishes a link between food contact chemicals, exposure and human health.” They also detected over 100 food contact chemicals (FCCs) that are risky for human health.
This included 25 pesticides, 23 metals, 20 flame retardants, 51 VOCs, and other potentially hazardous substances. One hundred chemicals in contact with foods “have hazard properties of high concern for human health,” and 44 chemicals have properties of medium concern, they reported in their study. The study revealed that chemicals used in products contacting foods included several known carcinogens, including styrene, benzophenone, formaldehyde, and cadmium—all of which have also been found in humans.
“Dozens of FCCs are classified as toxic to reproduction,” the researchers reported. The study also found that products containing food contained several known carcinogens, such as styrene, benzophenone, formaldehyde, and cadmium—all of which have been detected in humans. “This work highlights the fact that food contact materials are not fully safe,” Jane Muncke, study co-author and Food Packaging Forum managing director, said in the press release.
”We would like this new evidence base to be used for improving the safety of food contact materials – both in terms of regulations but also in the development of safer alternatives.” BPAs are banned in various food contact items, including baby bottles, in many countries. However they are still observed regularly in materials that are in contact with foods, the researchers reported.
The European Commission has proposed a complete ban on the use of BPAs in the production of FCMs. In the United States, the FDA prohibits the use of BPA in food contact materials designed for children’s products. The agency allows the use of the chemical in food contact adhesives, coatings, and polymers.
“They do not just stay there, but quite some of them reach, to some extent, the human body,” said Scheringer. The researchers said they wanted their work to expand knowledge about human exposure to food contact chemicals and their potential health effects. Olwenn Martin, associate professor at the University College of London and one of the authors, said she was also surprised to find so many chemicals that found their way into the bodies of human beings.
“This [study] shows that there needs to be more research about the toxicity and exposure to many chemicals and regulation around their use in food packaging,” she said. Kassotis said he believes there is a need for increased attention to the vast diversity of chemicals allowable in human food contact materials, and their resulting impact on human life. He hopes this review will increase public awareness.
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