More than 3,600 food-contact chemicals used in packaging and storage detected in humans, including several toxic substances associated with cancer, fertility issues, and hormone disruption.
Despite the perceived safety of the U.S. food supply, many chemicals used in food packaging and storage may be hazardous. In fact, food scientists have found that more than 1,800 food-contact chemicals migrate into foods—many of which have never undergone toxicity testing. New research demonstrates that more than 3,600 of these toxic compounds have been detected in humans.
Researchers compared a list of more than 14,000 known food-contact chemicals to five major biomonitoring programs and several databases that track chemicals in the human body. They then prioritized chemicals frequently found in food packaging and examined evidence for their presence in humans.
Enjoying this research? Get deeper insights like this delivered every other week.
Every other week our Premium Members receive deep dives like this alongside Rhonda's commentary and 8+ other hand-picked papers.
They found that 3,601 of these chemicals have been detected in humans. Of these, 194 were identified in biomonitoring programs, 80 of which carry a high toxicity risk. They also confirmed that 63 of 175 chemicals of concern were present in the human body, and most lacked safety data.
These findings suggest that human exposure to food-contact chemicals is widespread, highlighting the need for stricter safety regulations. Many food-contact chemicals include bisphenol A, phthalates, and other toxic substances that promote cancer, impair fertility, and disrupt hormone signaling. Although many of these compounds accumulate in the body over time, some are preferentially excreted in sweat. Learn how sauna use promotes sweating, helping the body rid itself of some toxic substances.