Scientists warn that chemicals found in packaging and in processed foods can be harmful to our health over time. A publication on this is in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
According to the authors of this publication, some of the chemicals in the packaging are able to reach food. Over time, people who consume packaged or processed foods are exposed to low levels of these harmful substances over the course of their lives. Currently, little is known about their long-term effects on human health, including key stages of development.
However, researchers point out that exposure to food contact materials (FCM) throughout our lives is a cause for concern for a variety of reasons. First of all, toxic substances such as formaldehyde, which is legally used in some materials, is a cancer-causing substance. Formaldehyde is widely used in plastic bottles and in melamine plates.
Other substances that interfere with hormone production and are found in food contact materials include bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan and phthalates. The authors of the publication emphasize that consumers are exposed to these chemicals every day, most often unknowingly.
The researchers also say that the potential cellular changes caused by these chemicals and the disruption of hormones are not included in routine toxicology analysis. This raises serious doubts as to the adequacy of chemical regulatory procedures.
Establishing potential cause-effect outcomes for these substances is difficult, according to the scientists, because there is simply no non-exposed population to which to compare them. However, it is emphasized that some research is required to discover possible links between exposure to these chemicals and diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, and neurological and inflammatory disorders.