According to a recent study, food packaging and plastic dinnerware contain about 200 chemicals that have been related to breast cancer. Many of these carcinogens have the ability to enter the human body. 76 known or suspected breast carcinogens were identified in food contact materials purchased worldwide, according to a study done by researchers connected to the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Coauthor of the study Jane Muncke stressed that eliminating these dangerous ingredients from food might greatly improve efforts to prevent cancer.
The study draws attention to the concerning fact that 40 of the compounds found have already been classified as dangerous by international regulatory bodies. These hazardous elements are nonetheless used in materials that come into close contact with food, in spite of this classification, raising the possibility that they will seep into the foods we eat. Since many of these carcinogens are known to be harmful to human health, Jenny Kay, a research scientist at the Silent Spring Institute, emphasized the urgent need for regulatory changes to remove them from food packaging.
The study’s results coincide with an increase in early-onset breast cancer cases in women under 50, a trend that hereditary reasons alone are unable to fully explain. Former American Cancer Society deputy chief medical officer Dr. Len Lichtenfeld noted that obesity, alcohol use, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental factors could all be contributing contributors to the rise in cancer cases among younger people. The study emphasizes how important it is to ascertain the relative dangers associated with these chemicals and how they relate to the increased incidence of cancer.
In response, the consumer products industry’s Consumer Brands Association said that its members adhere to FDA safety regulations and that food safety depends on packaging. The association’s Sarah Gallo pointed out that the FDA maintains a science-based safety evaluation system and analyzes compounds that come into contact with food on a regular basis.
The investigation expands upon other studies, such as a list released by Silent Spring in 2007 that listed 216 substances that could cause breast cancers in mice. This was enlarged to 921 possibly carcinogenic compounds in an updated list published in January 2024, highlighting the continued harm that these substances represent to human health. The report calls for more vigilance from authorities to protect the public health and supports the necessity for legislative action to protect consumers from unintentional exposure to hazardous chemicals in food packaging.
SOURCE :
CNN
