New Study Finds Fast Food Packaging Contains Potentially Harmful Chemicals That Can Leach Into Your Food
In association with the Silent Spring Institute, a team of researchers recently sought to investigate the dangers surrounding fast food packaging.
The results have been published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters. Scientists say that according to their findings, food packaging is likely to contain fluorine. And the study is one of the most comprehensive studies to date when it comes to investigating the prevalence of potentially fluorinated chemicals in fast food packaging.
The researchers looked at more than 400 samples from at least 27 different fast food venues that were located throughout the country.
Their samples consisted of paper food wrappers, drink containers, and paperboard. Those samples were tested for PFCs, which are also referred to as PFASs, and these are said to be highly fluorinated chemicals. These chemicals have been linked to a variety of potential health problems and so the researchers are concerned that people might be potentially exposed to them.
The researchers used particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy in order to study and analyze the fast food packaging samples that they had. They found that most of the paper wrappers (almost half) and about 20 percent of paperboard samples contained the fluorine chemical. They found that samples which were high in fluorine, were also found to contain high levels of PFASs.
They allege that Tex-Mex food packaging, along with dessert and bread wrappers, were the most likely culprits to contain the chemical.
A number of major U.S. manufacturers have already agreed to move forward with phasing out PFASs in their products, despite a number of other countries still producing them. But what they have been replacing it with, shorter-chain PFAS compounds, is also alleged to be unsafe for human consumption. However, there are non-fluorinated alternatives that are available on the market, it's just a matter of the restaurant venues choosing to go with those alternatives.
Pics:
Pixabay
American Chemical Society
Sources:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-02-non-stick-chemicals-common-fast-food.html
pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00435
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/1/14464370/fast-food-chemical-wrapper-pfas-pfoa
http://www.popsci.com/fast-food-may-contain-hidden-danger-its-packaging
Yes cool @doivoluntarily
Thank you very much to you have shared some interesting information.
Excellent. Maybe next there will be tests for mercury, bisphenols, glyphosate, PCBs, dioxin, and so on and so forth. We are awash in this flood of poisons.
It's about time people recognize the dangers of fluoride compounds.
Thank you.
It's good to see many of these kinds of studies. Seems like awareness is growing.