Plastic Food Packaging Contains Thousands of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals: Study
March 7, 2024: Chemicals that disrupt the endocrine and metabolic systems are prevalent in plastic food packaging, according to the findings of a new study by scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The study (pdf), titled “Plastic Food Packaging from Five Countries Contains Endocrine- and Metabolism-Disrupting Chemicals,” was published in Environmental Science & Technology on March. 5.
“Despite the well-established links between certain plastic chemicals (bisphenols and phthalates) and adverse health effects, the composition and toxicity of real-world mixtures of plastic chemicals are not well understood,” the authors noted.
In an effort to better understand how toxic plastic chemicals are, scientists analyzed chemicals from 36 plastic “food-contact articles,” or plastics used to package or process food.
The articles were made of high- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PUR), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC).
Researchers noted the packagings were purchased from domestic retailers across five countries: Germany, Norway the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea between winter 2020 and spring 2021.
They included single-use packaging (such as cups, films, trays, etc.) and food-contact articles for repeated use (including food containers, hydration bladders, etc.).
Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals Found
The team of scientists then analyzed the chemicals present in the packaging using nontarget high-resolution mass spectrometry; an analytical technique used to identify an unknown compound.
Additionally, they used reporter-gene assays—used to measure the regulatory ability of an unknown DNA sequence—for four nuclear receptors that represent key components of the endocrine and metabolic system.
The team detected up to 9,936 chemical features in a single product and found that each product had “a rather unique chemical fingerprint.”
Many of the chemicals also interfere with the body’s hormones; activating the pregnane X receptor (PXR), peroxisome proliferator receptor γ (PPARγ), estrogen receptor α (ERα), and inhibiting the androgen receptor (AR), they said.
“The prevalence of estrogenic compounds in plastics raises health concerns due to their potential to disrupt the endocrine system, which can, among others, result in developmental and reproductive issues, and an elevated risk of hormone-related cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer,” the authors noted.
Furthermore, researchers found the compounds extracted from LDPE, PUR, and PVC caused the strongest effect whereas the extracts of HDPE, PET, and PP were less active.
‘Chemical Simplicity’ Needed in Plastic Design, Production
Still, the researchers noted they are unable to conclude that a particular polymer type is free of toxic chemicals because “methanolic extracts of samples of each polymer activated most receptors.”
“This research highlights the importance of analyzing the toxicity of whole chemical mixtures of finished plastic products because it covers all extractable chemicals, including unknowns,” the authors wrote.
Scientists further noted their findings represent an important step toward reducing the chemical complexity of chemicals in plastic products but acknowledged their work also highlights the limited knowledge about the compounds present in plastics.
“Moving forward, it is essential to consider chemical simplicity as a guiding principle in plastic design and production,” the researchers wrote. "This is supported by our findings according to which chemically less complex plastic products induced lower toxicity. By the use of fewer and better-characterized chemicals, the safety of plastic products can be significantly improved.”
Source: Epoch Health