Foods wrapped in plastic wrap may expose people to bisphenol A and phthalates, compounds regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health. Ruthann A Rudel, from the Silent Spring Institute (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues conducted a short intervention trial involving five families, each with two children, who were enrolled in a three-phase study that lasted eight days. Making the switch to fresh food resulted in a 66% drop in participants’ urinary concentration of bisphenol A, and metabolites of a commonly used phthalate — bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP — fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days. The team reports that: “BPA and DEHP exposures were substantially reduced when participants’ diets were restricted to food with limited packaging.”
Plastic Food Wrap Poses Food Safety Risk
Foods wrapped in plastic wrap may expose people to bisphenol A and phthalates, compounds regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health.
Ruthann A Rudel, Janet M Gray, Connie L Engel, Teresa W Rawsthorne, Robin E Dodson, Janet M Ackerman, Jeanne Rizzo, Janet L Nudelman, Julia Green Brody. “Food Packaging and Bisphenol A and Bis(2-Ethyhexyl) Phthalate Exposure: Findings from a Dietary Intervention.” Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 914 - 920.
