Food packaging chemicals are seeping into human bodies — here’s what that means for your health

The researchers, led by scientists from a Swiss nonprofit called the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, looked at data on more than 14,000 food contact chemicals — substances in containers or other materials that touch what we eat and drink.

The study, published September 17 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, explained that 25% of the chemicals they were studying — about 3,601 substances — showed up inside the human body, in samples including skin, hair, blood, breast milk, and fat tissue.

That suggests manufacturing chemicals are migrating into our bodies from items we use to store, package, or cook our food. It’s not just plastic either, since even paper or cardboard can contain substances like ink that can be problematic when it comes into contact with food.

Trying to understand the health risks

Scientists are digging for clues to understand the impact of these chemicals on long-term health.

Some of these chemicals are known to be dangerous, including carcinogens (cancer-causing) substances and toxins linked to hormone and reproductive problems.

One such category is called PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known as “forever chemicals” because they linger and accumulate in our bodies and in the water and soil. PFAs exposure is linked to some cancers, liver damage, and more, as well as possible developmental defects in children.

Other hazardous chemicals the study found in food and our bodies include BPA (a toxic ingredient in packaging linked to hormone problems) and heavy metals that can cause harm to our DNA.

And there’s a lot we don’t know about many of the other chemicals found in human samples, including whether they might be harmful or what, if any, amount is safe.

The actual number of chemicals we’re exposed to through food and drinks could also be much higher than the 3,601 estimated in the study, according to the researchers.

Putting limits on chemical exposure

This same team of researchers previously published a study that found government regulations aren’t doing much to prevent chemical exposure.

While there are some existing rules — such as limits on PFAs in drinking water — legislation is slow to keep up with the latest science, and sometimes too vague to enforce. Plus, there’s so much we don’t know about potential risks of chemicals that haven’t been studied as closely.

The new study is one crucial step in understanding how chemicals in our environment (and in our food) could affect our health long-term, and how we might be able to reduce the risks in the future.

“This work highlights the fact that food contact materials are not fully safe, even though they may comply with regulations, because they transfer known hazardous chemicals into people,” Jane Muncke, senior author of the study, environmental toxicology expert, and managing director at the Food Packaging Forum, said in a press release.

“We would like this new evidence base to be used for improving the safety of food contact materials — both in terms of regulations but also in the development of safer alternatives,” Muncke said.