Get inspired with weekly roundups on easy living. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
–
More than 3,600 chemicals that enter food during the preparation, processing, packaging and storage of the world's food supply end up in the human body — and some are linked to serious health risks, a new study finds. has gone
“This is a surprising number and shows that food contact materials are an important source of chemicals in humans,” Martin Wagner, professor of biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, said in an email. .
“The study is the first that we've done to quantify human exposure to chemicals used in packaging and processing materials,” said Wagner, who was not involved in the research.
According to the study, published Monday in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 79 of the food processing chemicals found in the body cause cancer, genetic mutations, endocrine and reproductive problems, and other health problems.
Many more chemicals are harmful in these ways, said Jean Munk, managing director and chief scientific officer of the Food Packaging Forum, a non-profit foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, that focuses on science communication and research. There may be diseases that science does not yet know about. .
“We're measuring not only the chemicals that were known to be used in the food preparation process, but also all the gunk — the byproducts and impurities that we call unintentionally added substances,” Munk said. are,” Minke said.
“Those substances are always present in plastics, can and package coatings, printing inks, etc. They may not have a technical function in food processing, but they are there and are being transmitted to people, and we are measure.”
The American Chemistry Council, an industry association, told CNN that its members are dedicated to food safety.
“However, it is important to consider the broader context when assessing potential risks, including the current regulatory framework, scientific evidence, and the actual level and degree of exposure,” a council spokesperson said via email. .
“Any proposed action that lacks this context, particularly when causation has not been definitively established, is inconsistent with risk-based U.S. chemical regulation rules.”
However, while food contact materials may comply with current government regulations, the study highlights that these chemicals may not be completely safe, Minke said.
“We don't know exactly what the amount used in cosmetics, personal care products, textiles, etc. is compared to the amount used in food packaging or other food contact materials, right? would like to,” he said.
“I think it would be fantastic to make it a regulatory requirement for companies to declare how many and what types of chemicals they are putting in my food or plastic water bottle.”
One chemical that studies have found in both food and the human body is bisphenol A, or BPA, which was used to make baby bottles, sippy cups and baby formula containers until fearful parents found a There was no boycott of these products more than a decade ago.
BPA is an endocrine disruptor linked to fetal abnormalities, low birth weight, and brain and behavioral disorders in infants and children. In adults, the chemical has been linked to developing diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, cancer and a 49 percent higher risk of early death within 10 years.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, bisphenol A can get into food from canned foods, polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers and water bottles.
“Studies also show that food contact materials may contain mutagenic chemicals that damage our DNA, such as heavy metals,” Wagner said. “There is strong evidence that humans are exposed to PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, from food packaging that are very persistent, bioaccumulate and cause organ toxicity.”
According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are present in the blood of about 98 percent of Americans. Hormone-disrupting chemicals are of such concern that in July 2022 the Academies set “nanogram” levels of concern and called for testing of high-risk individuals, including children and older adults. (A nanogram is equal to 1 billionth of a gram.)
Research shows that another chemical group in food packaging that has been transferred to people is phthalates. Found in shampoo, makeup, perfume and children's toys, as well as food containers, phthalates have been linked to genital malignancies and undescended testicles in baby boys and low sperm count and testosterone levels in adult men. is
Previous studies have also linked phthalates to childhood obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death among people aged 55 to 64.
In the new study, researchers compared 14,000 chemicals that come into contact with food during the packaging process with a worldwide database that monitors human exposure to potential chemical toxins. All research data has been uploaded to an open database for scientific use.
“We have 60 years of research on the transfer of chemicals from food processing and packaging equipment to food. It's been studied very extensively,” Minke said.
“And at the same time, more good, powerful studies are coming out on Bisphenol A, on phthalates, on PFAS, on brominated flame retardants and so on that are associated with diseases in people.”
What was lacking in the literature was a comparison between those found in people and the chemicals transferred to food during food processing. To connect the dots, Minke and her colleagues looked at national and regional biomonitoring databases that track chemicals in human blood, urine, breast milk, tissue samples and other biomarkers.
For the study, the researchers used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, which collects annual health and nutrition data on Americans. Other databases included the Canadian Health Measures Survey, Human Biomonitoring for Europe, the Korean National Environmental Health Survey and Biomonitoring California, a state database.
According to research, of the 14,000 chemicals that are transferred to food during processing and packaging, only a few hundred are measured in people through these programs. For example, only 172 chemicals detected in food contact materials are monitored in the United States through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey – 144 of these chemicals have been detected in some populations.
“Given that there are (tens of) thousands of chemicals that come into contact with food, biomonitoring programs do not have the capacity to test for all of the chemicals that we are potentially exposed to,” Wagner said. “This creates a bias towards very well-studied substances and leaves a large gap in our knowledge of all the other chemicals potentially present in our bodies.”
Of course, having a chemical in the body doesn't mean the chemical is harmful, says Melanie Bensch, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a consumer organization that monitors exposure to PFAS and other hazardous chemicals. said
“Yet you shouldn't be born with a chemical inside you,” Bensch said. “The biggest question is, do we really need these chemicals to process our food? When we have chemicals in our bodies that we know have the potential to harm us, We must eliminate every avenue of exposure that we can.”
According to EWG's 2022 analysis, since 2000, about 99% of any new food contact chemicals were greenlit for use by the food and chemical industry, not the US Food and Drug Administration.
Over that 22-year period, food manufacturers asked the FDA for approval to introduce chemicals 10 times, the analysis said. Instead, “companies have taken advantage of a loophole for substances that are 'generally recognized as safe,' or GRAS.” The EWG report says the loophole lies with food manufacturers — not the FDA. – Lets you decide if a substance is safe.
Created in the 1950s by amendments to the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, GRAS was intended to apply less to common ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, and baking soda.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report in November 2022 that highlighted the FDA's limitations in overseeing the nation's food safety, including the agency's lack of statutory authority over food manufacturers.
“In addition, FDA does not track the date of the last pre- or postmarket review for all food contact substances in such a way that FDA can easily identify substances that may warrant postmarket review. are because new safety information has come to light,” the GAO report said.
FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Food Jim Jones told the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health last week that the FDA has made food chemical safety a top priority.
“However, there are also significant gaps that need to be addressed as we embark on strengthening our food chemical safety activities,” he said. “Ready access to safety information and consumer exposure data on chemicals requiring review will help us conduct faster and more robust safety reviews and re-evaluations. Access to this data will help FDA improve consumer safety and food security.” Will allow any necessary regulatory action to be taken in a timely manner to help ensure safety.
For the first time, the FDA will hold a public hearing, scheduled for September 25, on chemicals in food, including food and color additives, food contact substances, potential contaminants and pesticides, and general About ingredients considered safe.
“It's unprecedented,” said EWG's Bensch. “This is the first time that the FDA is talking about a rigorous review program that puts human health first, that puts chemical safety first, and that restores some of the consumer confidence that the agency has. I'm lost.”