Are You Eating Plastic?
Photo from Consumer Reports article listed below.
Plastics in Your Food
My niece had some blood work done and found out she had high levels of microplastics in her body. The New England Journal of Medicine released the results of a study detecting micro-and nanoplastics in the carotid artery plaque of 58% of patients. They found that it measurably increased the risk of heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality in those patients.
We are inundated with plastic. Our food is wrapped in it. It is in our kitchen utensils, personal care, toys, shower curtains and more. So much of our food comes wrapped in plastic or comes in plastic containers. Could we be ingesting it?
The answer is a resounding yes and it impacts our health. Consumer Reports investigated two chemicals in plastics; phthalates and BPA that are found in food and food packaging. CR checked about 100 foods and found these 2 chemicals are widespread. They have significant health impacts.
What are they?
Plasticizers are chemicals used to make plastic more flexible and durable. Phthalates are a common plasticizer. Phthalates disrupt the hormone system by increasing the production of some hormones, decreasing the production of others, and interfering with hormone signaling which can cause health problems.
Phthalates are serious endocrine disruptors linked to problems of the reproductive system, including decreased sperm motility and concentration in men and genital abnormalities in baby boys. Hmmm? Could this be a contributing factor that sperm counts have been decreasing significantly?
Some of the health harms associated with phthalates are changes to fertility, early puberty and risk of low birth weight, obesity, diabetes, impacts to the immune system, cardiovascular and respiratory problems, some cancers, and neurological and behavioral problems. They’ve also been linked to asthma and allergies.
Another chemical found in plastics is BPA. This is another hormone disrupter. Bisphenol A is a toxic plastics chemical found in polycarbonate plastic and the resinous lining of food cans. BPA is a major risk factor for endocrine, immune, and oncological diseases.
Consumer Reports found phthalates in almost every food tested, often at high levels. The levels did not depend on packaging type. No one food was more likely to have them. Some products had very high levels and some had lower levels. Levels varied even among products from the same brand.
“That tells us that, as widespread as these chemicals are, there are ways to reduce how much is in our foods.” says James E. Rogers, PhD, who oversees product safety testing at CR.
Packaging is not the only way that these chemicals enter our foods. Chemicals, especially phthalates, can also get in from the plastic in the tubing, conveyor belts, and gloves used. During food processing and can even enter directly into meat and produce via contaminated water and soil according to this article in Consumer Reports.
The findings on BPA are better. However, it was still found in 79% of the products tested but the levels were lower than when CR last rested for BPA in 2009.
Interestingly, U.S regulators have curtailed the use of these chemicals in some products, but not yet food!
Here are tips Consumer Reports suggested to reduce plastic in your food:
Avoid plastic food storage containers. Do not heat them in a microwave or store hot food in them! Use steel or glass containers but keep food an inch below a plastic top.
Steer clear of fast foods. Their testing showed the highest levels of phthalates. Wearing plastic gloves by workers may be a contributing factor.
Limit high fat foods. Plasticizers are fat soluble and are found to have higher levels.
Eat fresh, minimally processed foods. (Unpackaged, of course.)
Choose wood, stainless steel, and silicone for kitchen tools.
Use water bottles made of glass or steel.
You Can Make a Difference. Ways to Take Action:
Customers have some power. Write a letter to your local supermarkets, fast-food chains, and food manufacturers asking them to reduce plastic packaging and set goals to reduce bisphenols and phthalates from all food packaging and processing equipment in their supply chains.
To avoid plastic wrapping purchase meats at a butcher or co-op where they can wrap in paper. Check to see if the butcher paper has a plastic coating. If so, immediately transfer it to a glass or metal container when you get home. Ask to have vegetables & fruits that are not wrapped in plastic. Rather than provide plastic bags, ask stores to offer compostable bags but make sure they are bioplastics or certified EPA compostable.
Write to your senators and representatives:
to put pressure on the FDA to ban plasticizers in any material that has contact with food during production. You can sign a petition to the FDA to get phthalates out of our food here.
Chemicals should be regulated as classes, not individually. They need to be proven they are safe to humans before they are used in food and food production.
Support chemical companies to create safer, more sustainable materials that are nontoxic, biodegradable and renewable. We can grow jobs with green chemistry & engineering.
Read the entire Consumer Reports Article.
It has additional information you will want to know plus a list of BPA and phthalates levels in popular foods.
What steps will you take this month to eliminate plastics in your food?
Sources:
Consumer Reports, February 2024