Sept. 17, 2024 – People ingest tiny, chemical-containing bits of things that touch the food and drink we consume every day. There are a vast number of sources of these chemicals, ranging from plastic bags and bottles to take-out containers and shrink wrap to manufacturing and cooking equipment.
Scientists have identified 14,000 distinct chemicals that come into contact with food, and now a new study has established that 3,601 of them have been detected in the human body. That works out to be 25% of known food contact chemicals, sometimes called FCCs.
Among the worrying aspects of their findings was just how little is known about most of the chemicals, particularly if or how they affect human health. The researchers also found many that are already linked to cancer, permanent genetic changes, toxic effects on the reproductive system, and toxicity to essential body organs.
Some FCCs are very well understood. One of the most well-known ones is bisphenol A (BPA), which has been banned from use in some containers like baby bottles due to health concerns that have prompted many products to advertise that they are “BPA-free.” Other chemicals have started being regulated further by the Environmental Protection Agency, including a handful of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
The researchers also found metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds that can be breathed in, and phthalates, which are used to make plastic, as well as fragrances and personal care products. The chemicals have technical names like triphenylphosphine oxide and di-n-propyl phthalate.
When the team searched scientific literature to see what is known about the FCCs detected in humans, they concluded there is a broad lack of knowledge, such as for synthetic antioxidants that help keep products fresh and for oligomers, which are simply small molecules unintentionally added to food.
“Many of these FCCs have hazard properties of concern, and still others have never been tested for toxicity,” the researchers wrote as to why they undertook the study. “Humans are known to be exposed to FCCs via foods, but the full extent of human exposure to all FCCs is unknown.”
The study, published this week in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, comprehensively searched biological data collections for detections of FCCs in humans, such as from samples of blood, urine, skin, and breast milk. The data is now assembled and available in a public listing with an interactive search tool.
“Our research helps to establish the link between food contact chemicals and human exposure, highlights chemicals that are overlooked in biomonitoring studies and supports research into safer food contact materials,” lead author Birgit Geueke, PhD, senior scientific officer at the Food Packaging Forum, said in a news release.
