According to a paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health environmental scientists say, many of the synthetic chemicals that are involved in packaging and storing the food we eat can leak and potentially harm our long term health.
Although exposure to these chemicals is low, some of them are regulated and many of us have been eating such food throughout our whole lives.
Environmental scientists say that since most foods are packaged the entire population is likely to be exposed and it’s extremely important that the gaps in knowledge be filled immediately.
Food Contact Materials
Usually the food contact materials are made up of plastic or synthetic material that comes in direct contact with foods. This includes laminate coating in beverage cartons or the closures of class jars.
Plastic bottles used for carbonated drinks usually contain low levels of formaldehyde, which raises a red flag to environmentalists.
Little is known about the long-term impact of this chronic exposure; however certain known toxicants including formaldehyde are known to cause cancer.
Another concern environmentalists have is the fact that hormone disrupting chemicals such as, bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan, and phthalates can be present in FCM’s.
Long Term Exposure To Chemicals Cause For Concern
Establishing a link between long term FCM exposure and chronic diseases is going to be difficult because there are no unexposed populations to compare the results with.
However, researchers say large differences in exposure levels between individuals and certain population groups are likely to exist and suggest using population based-assessments and bio-monitoring to uncover associations between FCMs and chronic conditions including cancer, obesity, diabetes and inflammatory disorders.
The number of known chemical substance intentionally used in FCMs is over 4,000, which is creates a massive cause for concern.
Chronic diseases account for around two thirds of deaths in developed countries, researchers also added that about 16 percent of these deaths happen before the age of 60.
