Researchers at the Food Packaging Forum in Switzerland have found evidence of exposure to 76 breast carcinogens from materials that came into contact with recently purchased foods around the world.
THE food which are sold in supermarkets or stores are usually packaged with commonly used materials, such as plastic, cardboard or paper. Although it may seem harmless, these containers could contain one of the chemicals linked to breast cancer warns of further research.
He study carried out by a team of researchers from Food Packaging Forum a non-profit organization based in Zurich, Switzerland, has discovered that Nearly 200 potential breast carcinogens are present in food contact materials (FCM) on the market.
According to the authors, these compounds could pass from the packaging into the food itself and possibly be ingested by humans. The results were published on September 23 in the scientific journal Frontiers of toxicology .
According to Jane Muncke CEO of the Food Packaging Forum and co-author of the study, cancer prevention in general through “reducing hazardous chemicals” in everyday life is a topic that deserves further research from the scientific community.
“This study is important because it shows that there is a huge opportunity to prevent human exposure to chemicals that cause breast cancer,” the researcher said in a statement.
What are the carcinogens that leach into food?
According to the study’s authors, many countries have regulated food contact materials to protect people from substances that are potentially hazardous to health. However, even with these regulations, “cancers associated with exposure to harmful chemicals are very common, including breast cancer,” they explain.
In a 2007 study, researchers from the Silent Spring Institute a scientific organization dedicated to discovering the causes of breast cancer, has identified that it has 216 chemicals that can cause tumors in mice. When the list was updated in January of this year, it was discovered that there were 921 potentially carcinogenic chemicals, according to cnn .
“The fact that so many potential breast carcinogens are present in food packaging and can migrate into our food is just one example of the number of chemicals we are unwittingly exposed to every day,” said Jenny Kay, a researcher at the Silent Spring Institute and co-author of the study.
In recent research, The Food Packaging Forum team compared the database built by Silent Spring with its own database of food contact chemicals monitored in humans. These include those that have been detected in tissues, breast milk, blood and urine.
By comparing these databases, the researchers sought to discover which chemicals could potentially enter people’s daily diets.
When the analysis was done, 189 possible breast carcinogens were detected in food contact materials, such as plastic, cardboard and paper.
The study also found evidence of exposure to 76 breast carcinogens from materials that had come into contact with recently purchased foods around the world. Of these, 61 came from plastics used in packaging.
Among the risky chemical compounds identified by the team of scientists are: bisphenols, phthalates and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS. These have been linked not only to cancer, but also to other adverse effects on human health, such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity and fertility problems, the European Environment Agency .
According to CNN, the other compounds detected were benzene, a carcinogen linked to breast cancer in animals and humans; 4,4′-methylenebis-(2-chloroaniline), known as MBOCA, which has been linked to bladder cancer; 2,4-toluenediamine, which can cause various cancers in animals; and 3,3′-dimethylbenzidine and o-toluidine, dyes used in materials such as plastic. The dyes also have toxic properties that could be risky, experts say.
“Identifying the presence of these hazardous chemicals in food contact materials was possible thanks to our database” Lindsey Parkinson, science editor of the Food Packaging Forum and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
The researcher added that “this resource brings together valuable information from thousands of published scientific studies on chemicals in food contact materials in one easily searchable location.”
What to do to reduce exposure to chemicals
Although each country has an entity responsible for ensuring the safety of food products and their packaging methods, There are various strategies that can be implemented on a daily basis to reduce exposure to chemicals that are hazardous to health.
From Silent Spring they detail that one of the steps to take before cooking meat or fish is Remove the fat and skin and drain the fat accumulated during preparation. This is to reduce the accumulation of contaminants such as PCBs.
If it is canned or wet food, it is suggested to avoid those wrapped in plastic or lined cardboard. Whenever possible, Consumers should opt for organic produce, meat and dairy products because they are less likely to have been exposed to pesticides.
Instead of using plastic bottles to drink water, the entity recommends opting for glass or stainless steel bottles. . Additionally, it is ideal not to drink water from dispensers with plastic carafes and to use solid block filters to purify drinking water.
Source: Latercera
I am Robert Harris and I specialize in news media. My experience has been focused on sports journalism, particularly within the Rugby sector. I have written for various news websites in the past and currently work as an author for Athletistic, covering all things related to Rugby news.
