Harmful Substances in Packaging - Klartext Translated

Plastic and cardboard release significant amounts of harmful substances.

“Clean eating” is all the rage, and as a result, more and more consumers are paying attention to the nutritional value, contamination levels, production methods, and origin of their food. They are less likely to question the packaging, even though it can pose a significant risk.

Plastics and cardboard release a host of harmful substances: According to estimates by packaging analyst Dr. Konrad Grob of the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory, up to 100,000 different substances migrate into packaged foods—“in toxicologically relevant quantities.” Most of these substances have not even been identified yet, let alone tested for safety; what they do to us is largely unknown. We ingest them; they accumulate in our organs; over time, they become ticking biological time bombs. Our food now contains a hundred times more chemical residues from packaging than from pesticides—who wouldn’t feel uneasy about that?

We absorb highly toxic aluminum not only from contaminated drinking water and food, but also from cosmetics, medications, and vaccines, as well as from tableware and packaging. It leaches from beverage and food cans, from glass bottle caps, from Tetra Paks, from ready-meal packaging, and from plastic wrap—especially when the contents include acids, salts, or alkalis, as these dissolve the aluminum. This lightweight metal can damage the nervous system, reduce fertility, impair bone development, and increase the likelihood of cancer. It poses a risk to unborn babies. It is found in high concentrations in the brains of patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Virtually all plastic food packaging contains chemical plasticizers that make brittle materials soft and flexible. The coatings on food cans, beverage and freezer containers, and microwave-safe dishes usually contain bisphenol A (BPA). Numerous studies have demonstrated links between elevated BPA levels and heart disease, diabetes, and breast and prostate cancer. Even in tiny amounts, bisphenol A interferes with our hormonal balance.

When researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed urine samples from 190 men with fertility issues, they found BPA in 90 percent of them. The higher the BPA concentration, the fewer sperm they produced, and the more frequently the sperm’s DNA was damaged and their motility reduced. In unborn babies and infants, BPA can impair brain development, causing permanent and irreversible damage. It also appears to influence children’s behavior.

When Spanish doctors examined BPA concentrations in the urine of 300 nine- to eleven-year-olds, they found that the higher the BPA levels, the more likely aggressive behavior, attention and anxiety disorders, hyperactivity, and depression were to occur. The authors of the 2015 TV documentary “Hauptsache haltbar”1 summed up the current state of the debate: “The industry commissioned 14 studies. The result: BPA is safe. In contrast, 153 publicly funded studies indicate that BPA is harmful to health.”

Other highly flammable plasticizers, known as phthalates, are found in items such as the seals and lids of jam and pesto jars, roasting bags, tubes for mustard and mayonnaise, and PVC films used for sliced cheese, sausage, and fresh meat. Many oil- and fat-containing foods are particularly contaminated with phthalates; in 74 out of 300 samples tested, the phthalate concentration exceeded EU limits. Or they contained variants that are already banned, such as the reproductive toxin DEHP, as the Stuttgart Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office determined in 2011.

These toxins are now detectable in the blood and urine of nearly everyone. They weaken the immune system, contribute to obesity and diabetes, damage the liver, and increase the risk of cancer. Due to their estrogen-like structure, they interfere with the endocrine system. They impair reproductive capacity, as well as the development of the brain and reproductive organs in fetuses and children.

As usual, manufacturers only responded to growing public pressure and the threat of bans after years of denial, stalling, and downplaying the risks: they replaced particularly controversial substances with new ones, such as DEHA and DINP (diisononyl phthalate). The safety of these new substances is no less questionable. From the manufacturers’ perspective, however, this makes no difference at all: before negative studies pile up and well-founded concerns once again take hold, business can continue undisturbed for many more years.

Plastic beverage bottles are lighter and shatter-resistant, but are mostly made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Acetaldehyde leaches from this into the liquid, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, among other things, as can the carcinogenic antimony trioxide. In even higher concentrations, heated PET trays for ready-made meals release these harmful substances.

Cardboard boxes and bags made from recycled paper contain mineral oils from printing inks, along with up to 250 other harmful chemicals. Consumer advocates have singled out two types: saturated mineral oils (MOSH) accumulate in the liver, spleen, heart valves, and lymph nodes, causing long-term damage; even recently, breast milk has been found to be contaminated with MOSH. Aromatic mineral oils (MOAH) are strongly suspected of altering genetic material and causing cancer. In 2012, Stiftung Warentest found them in the chocolate of 24 Advent calendars.

Three years later, the consumer protection organization foodwatch had 119 food products packaged in cardboard analyzed; 43 percent of these were contaminated with MOAH, even though they were only two to three months old—still far from their best-by date. According to estimates by doctors at the state hospitals in Bregenz and Innsbruck, each of us now carries between 1 and 10 grams of mineral oil residues in our bodies.

Why don’t pizza boxes or hamburger wrappers get soggy? They’ve been coated with perfluorinated chemicals that repel grease and water. These substances may contain FTOHs (fluorotelomer alcohols), which have been identified as harmful in several studies. Among other things, they damage the liver, impair reproduction, promote tumor growth, and affect the endocrine system. They are also linked to developmental and immune disorders.2

Solutions? At least a few. If a supermarket gives you the choice between open and packaged goods: Use your purchasing decisions to show what you don’t agree with. As soon as you get home after shopping, repackage foil-wrapped foods—into glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers, or into white, non-recycled cardboard boxes. Do not use containers with plastic-coated interiors or lids. Do not stock up more often than necessary—opt for fresh, regional products that you can prepare right away.

See original Article > Schadstoffe in Verpackungen

Notes:

1 http://programm.ard.de/?sendung=2800714946113480

2 H. Nilsson: „Biotransformation of fluorotelomer compound to perfluorocarboxylates in humans, Environment International 51/2013, S. 8-12.

Published by Editor