How plastic food packaging affects our health

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The substances in its composition affect us much more strongly than we think.

Vox science journalist Julia Belluz spoke about the main research and warnings of scientists.

How hazardous polymers and microplastics affect hormone function

Almost everything we eat is sold, stored or reheated in plastic containers. Bottles, cling film, aluminum cans, disposable tableware - most packaging today is made using polycarbonate plastic. Some varieties contain bioactive chemicals such as bisphenol A and phthalates. They can seep from the packaging into the food, especially when heated.

There is more and more evidence that they are harmful to our health. For example, according to a study published in the spring, more than 90% of bottled water from the world's leading manufacturers is contaminated with microplastics. These are particles less than five millimeters long.

Once in the body, they lead to hormonal disorders.

In particular, they mimic the work of estrogen, interfere with the work of the thyroid gland, and suppress the action of testosterone.

As you know, hormones regulate the body's work. They carry information by moving through the bloodstream and triggering certain processes in the organs. Now imagine that you have eaten something similar in structure to a hormone and acting in a similar way. This can upset the delicate balance within the body. This is exactly what happens if small doses of plastic enter the body over the course of many years. And it starts in childhood.

“Any organ or system that develops in a fetus or baby can change significantly when exposed to chemicals from plastic, even from small doses, but this is very difficult to notice,” says Tom Neltner, director of chemical policy, Environmental Defense Fund. EDF environments. Therefore, in July 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged parents to limit the use of plastic containers, and also demanded an urgent review of methods for regulating these substances.

How plastic works on animals

Aquatic animals, monkeys and rodents are used as models for the study of human diseases. Overall, animal studies show that plastic can harm the body, especially the reproductive system. It can cause abnormalities in the development of sperm, eggs and fetus.

In 2012, Harvard scientists published a study on the effect of bisphenol A on the development of female germ cells in rhesus monkeys. They gave the monkeys a substance with food or implanted an implant that secretes a certain amount of it. This led to disruptions in two critical stages of egg development. That is, to a decrease in fertility.

Hormones and plastic particles that mimic them are part of the body's complex feedback systems.

For example, phthalates and polyvinyl chloride induce an inflammatory response in mice and possibly provoke. And the ingestion of plastic into the body caused problems with the development of sperm in rats and damage to the testes in mice and guinea pigs.

However, relying only on animal studies, it is impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions. In old works, scientists used very high doses of substances - several orders of magnitude more than people can get. This happened because the early research was conducted by toxicologists, not endocrinologists.

“When it comes to toxins, the more you get, the stronger the effect, but that's not the case with hormones,” explains endocrinologist Frederick Vom Saal of the University of Missouri. "Hormones are regulatory molecules that act at the level of one trillionth of a gram."

According to his research, dioctyl phthalate leads to negative consequences even at doses 25,000 times less than those previously considered dangerous. And in the male offspring of those mice who were given this substance, deformities of the genital tract appear.

How else does plastic affect the human body?

Not all animal health problems will necessarily occur in humans. We are, after all, arranged differently. The problem is that it is difficult to establish unambiguous causal relationships. Most often, scientists can only say that contact with plastic affects certain health indicators.

There is another problem as well. It is not always clear which components are included in the packaging. In the production of polymer plastics, there are many by-products that are not always tested for safety. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the effect of each individual chemical.

However, according to researcher Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, the link between chemicals in plastics and negative health effects has been documented in a number of studies. And experiments on cells and animals confirm these conclusions.

First of all, fertility, sexual function in men, the immune system are affected, the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity increases.

In addition, chemicals from plastic affect cognitive function. Bisphenol A ingestion at an early age is associated with impaired brain development, as well as an increased risk of childhood dyspnea and asthma. And contact with phthalates during fetal development can lead to a lowered IQ, communication difficulties.

Although many companies now make plastics without phthalates and bisphenol A, scientists doubt the safety of their equivalents: many of them are similar in function to the harmful substances they are replacing.

What to do to reduce exposure

• Try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. This will reduce the risk of chemicals from plastic packaging entering food.
• Do not reheat food in plastic containers.
• Store food in glass or metal containers.
• Do not use plastic containers with recycling code 3 (contains phthalates), 6 (styrene) and 7 (bisphenols).

But even if you follow all the precautions, it is impossible to completely protect yourself from these chemicals. Bisphenol A was found on cash register receipts and in disposable dishes. Phthalates are even more common. They are found in drugs and food additives coatings, thickeners, lubricants and emulsifiers. And also in medical devices, cleaning products, paint and plasticine, in fabrics, sex toys, liquid soap and nail polish.

Those substances that do not enter our body directly end up in landfills. Gradually, they decompose into microplastics and absorb harmful compounds - and all this then gets into water and food. Nevertheless, any attempt to reduce the amount of plastic entering the body is still worth it.