According to a recent research, more than 3,600 chemicals used in food packaging or preparation have been detected in human bodies, some of which are hazardous to health, while little is known about others.
- The researchers had previously catalogued around 14,000 food contact chemicals (FCCs), which are capable of “migrating” into food from packaging made of plastic, paper, glass, metal or other materials. They can also come from other parts of the food-making process, such as from conveyer belts or kitchen utensils.
- Among the “high concern” chemicals were numerous PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, which have been detected in many parts of the human body in recent years and linked to a range of health problems.
- Also detected was bisphenol A, a hormone-disrupting chemical used to make plastics that has already been banned from baby bottles in many countries.
- Another hormone-disrupting chemical was phthalates, which has been linked to infertility.
- Less is known about oligomers, which are also byproducts of plastic production.
Oligomers
- Oligomers are by-products of polymer production and intermediates of degradation.
- Despite the industrial advancements leading to an exponential increase in the production of new polymers, a majority of oligomers have remained inadequately researched.
- Oligomer is the main component of raw resins, and it determines the final desirable physical and chemical properties of the cured film.
About phthalates
- By far the most common use of phthalates is in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products.
- PVC is the second most commonly used plastic in the world, and is present in pipes and tubing, construction materials, packaging, electrical wiring, and thousands of consumer goods. For most phthalates, the major route of exposure is food ingestion.
- Phthalates in a mother’s body can enter her breast milk. Ingestion of that breast milk and infant formula containing phthalates may also contribute to infant phthalate exposure.
- Other minor routes of phthalate exposure include inhalation, drinking contaminated water, and absorption through the skin.
- Some phthalates are suspected endocrine disruptors.
