In your fridge or pantry, plastic is everywhere: plastic wrap, storage bags and containers, clamshell takeout containers, beverage bottles, and condiment containers, of course. Plastic (a synthetic polymer) is also the material in the multi-layered material used in potato chip bags and granola bar wrappers. Tin, steel, and aluminum cans, like the ones you use for beans and soda, are lined with plastic. Paper products, like paper cups and frozen food trays, are, as the name suggests, coated with plastic.
So how worried should you be about plastic in your next meal? Is it safe?
Experts say the answer depends on several factors Popular ScienceHowever, plastic panic is not something to ignore, and there are ways to reduce your risk of exposure.
The disturbing science about plastic exposure
Scientists have known for decades that certain compounds found in some plastics can leach from packaging into food and ultimately be ingested and absorbed. For example, bisphenol A (BPA) is known to migrate from wrappers and liners into food and accumulate in organisms, including humans. 1990s and afterAdditionally, several studies have demonstrated potential health effects from ingesting BPA, Mimics the hormone estrogenAlthough the effects of low-level BPA exposure are controversial, recent studies have shown that Cognitive and behavioral effects It said the levels were related to food, particularly in infants and children. Joe BrownProfessor of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health.
As a result of the research, BPA has been phased out from some applications and is no longer used. With a baby bottleFor example, substitute chemicals are marketed as replacements for alternative chemicals, subject to FDA regulations. But they are still used in many other food packaging, such as can liners, and new research suggests that the substitute compounds may be problematic as well. This pattern has been repeated many times throughout the history of environmental health and epidemiology, Brown points out. Often, chemicals that are known to be harmful, such as pesticides or flame retardants, are replaced by alternatives when they attract enough negative attention. But these alternatives are usually not well studied and may turn out to be just as harmful. “In the current regulatory framework, there isn’t much testing of those alternatives,” Brown says. [new] “You have to test a substance to know if it’s harmful,” Brown says.
In addition to BPA, phthalates (and Their alternatives) is used as a softener or plasticizer to make rigid plastics more flexible and is well known to cause health problems. From premature birth Increase Asthma risk PFAS can cause neurodevelopmental disorders and can also leach from packaging into food. PFAS (aka forever chemicals) have been linked to increased cancer risk and are also found in plastics as a by-product of manufacturing. These, too, can get into foods and beverages stored in plastic.
Dose is an important factor in assessing the risk of exposure to a chemical. Some compounds are harmless in very small amounts, but can cause illness in larger amounts. But it’s often difficult to determine exactly how much of a particular compound you’re ingesting from food or packaging, or from other sources, or whether the amount you ingest on a regular basis would be enough to cause a problem. But a study published in January found that Journal of the Endocrine Society, Scientists have estimated that the disease burden from exposure to toxic chemicals in plastics is Hundreds of billions of dollars The amount Americans spend on health care in a year.
Even more worrying, plastic food packaging contains far fewer compounds than the number of well-known chemicals, yet we unknowingly ingest far more. A large research study published earlier this week found that Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology They found that more than 3,500 chemicals found in food packaging and processing materials find their way into the human body. Most of these compounds come from contact between food and plastic, but other materials such as recycled paper and cardboard also contain many chemicals that are known to migrate into food, the team said. Jane Mahnkesenior study author, environmental toxicologist and managing director of the nonprofit Food Packaging Forum.
While the new study doesn’t establish whether and how each of those thousands of chemicals affects us, it does show that we’re exposed to so many chemicals in our daily diets — and there are big holes in our knowledge about what that means. For example, oligomers, short-chain polymers that are accidental by-products of plastics manufacturing, are commonly found in food packaging and processing materials and are known to leach into food. “We really don’t know anything about their toxicity,” Mahnke says. “It’s worrying. This is one of those data gaps that I think needs to be studied more.”
Still, exhaustive studies of individual compounds often don’t provide enough information, Munke and Brown say, because the reality is far more complex. We don’t ingest just one chemical at a time. “We’re exposed to a mixture of these chemicals” through food packaging and the broader environment, Brown says. “We know less about the health effects of all of these chemicals than we do about each of them individually.” So far, there has been little research on the interactions of exposure to multiple chemicals, suggesting that compounds can negatively affect each other, causing cumulative harm, Brown notes.
What can you do?
It’s unsettling to think about all the places plastic finds its way into our food and the impact it has on us. But eliminating all plastic from your pantry could easily be a full-time job. Instead of worrying and fretting, there are ways to take practical action to minimize your risk of exposure to chemicals in your home.
Heat, surface area, contact time, and basic chemistry are all useful factors to consider when choosing a food preservation method.
First of all, don’t microwave food that comes in plastic, because “high temperatures promote the leaching of chemicals and the release of microplastics.” Martin Wagner“Never put plastic in the microwave with it in it,” agrees Dr. Gregory, a biologist who studies plastic exposure at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Philip LandriganBrown, an epidemiologist and public health physician at Boston University, also recommends avoiding storing hot foods, such as freshly cooked soups, in plastic containers.
Next, consider the relative amount of contact between food and plastic. Liquids, powders, and grains all have a large surface area to absorb chemicals, Mahnke points out. Single-serving containers have a higher plastic-to-food ratio, so it’s wise to choose bulk options when possible. Also, foods stored in plastic for months at a time are of more concern than those left in plastic overnight or for a few days in the fridge. Non-perishable foods and pantry staples like flour, rice, and cooking liquids are better stored for long periods in glass, stainless steel, or ceramic containers, she says.
Finally, high-fat, high-acid foods may pull more chemicals from storage containers: Oil, vinegar, cheese, tomato sauce, and soda are highly reactive and “can be drivers of migration,” says Mahnke. Popular Science. For these items, consider buying versions that aren’t in plastic or plastic-lined cans.
What’s more, most of these changes have the dual benefit of reducing the negative health effects of chemical exposure and cutting the amount of single-use plastics that end up in landfills, Brown said.
But compromises are inevitable, and plastic has its uses. For example, plastic wrap: Health risksare typically one of the most effective short-term storage methods for preventing food spoilage. Reducing food waste and costs are reasonable goals, and finding alternative storage methods that work just as well and are just as flexible can be difficult, Braun points out. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel containers are all reusable and chemically inert, though, so if your food will fit in them, by all means, use them. But be careful: Not all reusable kitchen products meet the sustainability claims.
Ultimately, Mahnke emphasizes, you don’t need to be perfect to make beneficial changes. “I think the most important thing is not to drive yourself crazy,” she says. While there are aspects of your personal risk of chemical exposure that you can control, there are many aspects that you can’t. “There’s only so much you can do as a consumer.”
In the longer term, a more complete solution to the risks posed by plastic packaging will need to be achieved through policy. Currently, food packaging is regulated from an “innocent until proven guilty” perspective, Brown says. Companies put chemicals in packaging and only find out after the fact if they’re harmful, but this is in stark contrast to things like medicines, which must undergo rigorous safety testing before being approved for use, Brown adds. “I think the whole paradigm needs to shift.”
This story is part of Popular Science’s “Ask Me Anything” series, in which we answer your wildest, most mind-bending questions, from the mundane to the bizarre. Is there something you’ve always wanted to know? inquiry.
