Food Packaging Leads to Increased Levels of Harmful Chemicals

Every time you go to the grocery store, you probably spend some amount of time thinking about whether the food you're buying is good for you, but how much time do you spend pondering whether the food's packaging is good for you?

According to a recent report by ABC News, maybe you should.

At issue is the presence of certain chemical compounds that are used to manufacture plastic and other food packaging. A study by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute, an environmental group, found that when participants were restricted to a fresh-food diet for three days (meaning no packaged foods), the amount of these chemicals detected in their urine dropped dramatically, by up to 66 percent.
Of particular focus in the study were the chemical compounds DEHP, a plasticizer, and bisphenol A (aka BPA), which has come under increased scrutiny because of its possible health impacts on young children. When used in food packaging, including plastic wrap and even metal cans, these chemicals can be absorbed by the food inside and thus consumed.

While other studies have linked both BPA and DEHP to a variety of health concerns, ranging from interfering with normal brain development in fetuses to an increased risk for things like infertility, heart disease and cancer, there remains significant debate in the scientific community about the level of exposure necessary to cause harm as well as if these chemicals even stay around in the body long enough to have adverse health effects.

Indeed, the American Chemistry Council argues that the only thing this most recent study confirms is that consumers face minimal exposure to these chemicals through food packaging and, in any case, the chemicals are quickly excreted from the body.

But as the lead author of the study told ABC News: "There are outstanding health concerns about these chemicals, and while the health implications continue to be sorted out, there is an opportunity for individuals to reduce their exposure by making certain decisions."

These decisions include: avoiding packaged foods (no-brainer), preparing more meals at home, storing leftovers in glass or stainless-steel containers rather than plastic and never using plastic containers in the microwave.