CHEMICAL ATTACK: Food Packaging Poisons Our Bodies

Photo by Studio Blackthorns on Unsplash

Imagine a modern civilization without food packaging, like imagining it without electricity. Since the Neolithic Revolution, the challenge of sourcing, accumulating, processing, and preserving food has been crucial for human survival and development. However, scientists are concluding that this civilizational advantage comes at an unreasonably high price, as packaging has become a constant source of chemical contamination for our bodies.

EVEN ALUMINUM ISN’T HARMLESS!

ood packaging is usually made of multiple components, such as various plastics and adhesives, paper, cardboard, metals, glass, special coatings, and printing inks.

These materials are rarely neutral in relation to the food they contain. The most stable options include glass, stainless steel, and ceramics. However, most chemical substances migrate into the food, contaminating it.

As a result, thousands of toxic compounds enter our bodies. Some of them only seem harmless. For example, aluminum is used extensively in beverage cans, food cans, lids, and ready-made dish containers.

This «perfect» packaging material might have been safe on its own. The problem is that it dissolves when exposed to various acids and salts, allowing toxic compounds to seep into the food. These compounds disrupt the nervous and reproductive systems, hinder bone growth, and are linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

MICROPLASTIC EPIDEMIC

The rest of the packaging chemicals are no less toxic. Phthalates and bisphenol A, used in the production of plastic containers and packaging, weaken the immune system, damage the liver, disrupt hormonal balance, and are associated with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and numerous other disorders.

Microplastics have become an actual global disaster. They are found everywhere: in sand, air, sediment, drinking water, salt, fish, and even human veins and urine. They have been detected in the amniotic fluid of nine out of ten prematurely giving women.

Microplastics can enter our bodies in dozens, if not hundreds, of different ways. Not just through packaging but also through silicone kitchenware, a scratch on non-stick Teflon coatings, or a coffee cup. Microplastics wreak havoc on metabolism and the endocrine system.

«FOREVER CHEMICALS»: WE DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM!

One of the latest studies on this topic, whose results were recently published in the journal Nature, detected more than 3,600 chemicals in the human body! All of these substances enter the body through food packaging or during food preparation.

The research was conducted by the non-governmental Food Packaging Forum, which is based in Zurich. The researchers managed to identify only about 100 chemicals whose negative effects on health are well-documented.

The well-known bisphenol A and phthalates, with their disruptive effects on the hormonal and reproductive systems, are prime examples. These chemicals are so concerning that many countries have banned their use in manufacturing baby bottles.

Particular concern was raised over the high presence of so-called «forever chemicals», which are found in various parts of the human body and are associated with numerous health issues. Yet, for many of these substances, scientists still know very little about their impact on human health.

Among these «mysterious» compounds are oligomers, which are by-products of plastic manufacturing. The scientific team is calling for a further, more rigorous investigation into these substances.

A QUARTER OF ALL «CHEMICALS» COME FROM PACKAGING!

Researchers initially cataloged around 14,000 chemical substances that, upon contact with food, have the potential to migrate from packaging made of plastic, paper, glass, metal, or other materials. They then cross-referenced these substances with databases monitoring the presence of chemicals in human samples.

Experts expected to find just a few hundred compounds. Imagine their surprise when they identified 3,601! This suggests that food packaging is potentially so chemically active that it may account for a quarter of all migrating compounds detected in the human body! However, it is likely not the only source.

These «migrants» can come from various places, such as conveyor belts or kitchen utensils. The study focused less on concentration levels and more on the presence of these chemicals in the body. An additional unpleasant finding was that these substances could interact with each other.

HOW TO FIGHT TOXICITY?

It is worth noting that the United States and the EU have already begun legislative efforts to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are commonly found in food wrapping paper, fast-food boxes, popcorn bags, paper cups, pet food packaging, and more.

The danger lies in their ability to accumulate in the body, increasing the risk of arterial hypertension, diabetes, ulcerative colitis, liver, kidney, and thyroid diseases, immune system disorders, cancer, and more. Experts urge people to reduce exposure to toxic packaging to minimize the migration of chemical compounds into their food.

At the very least, avoid using packaging materials that are not intended for food contact. Reducing storage time and avoiding heating food in packaging at high temperatures also decreases chemical migration. On the other hand, migration increases when storing fatty or acidic foods or consuming products packed in small portions.

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