Potentially harmful industrial chemicals detected in US fast foods
Phthalates and other plasticizers found in cheeseburgers, chicken
burritos and other popular foods purchased at fast-food restaurants

Date:
October 27, 2021
Source:
George Washington University
Summary:
Chicken nuggets, burritos and other popular items consumers buy
from fast food outlets in the United States contain chemicals that
are linked to a long list of serious health problems, according
to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Chicken nuggets, burritos and other popular items consumers buy from fast
food outlets in the United States contain chemicals that are linked to
a long list of serious health problems, according to a first-of-its-kind
study published today.


========================================================================== Researchers at the George Washington University and their colleagues
bought fast foods from popular outlets and found 10 of 11 potentially
harmful chemicals in the samples, including phthalates, a group of
chemicals that are used to make plastics soft and are known to disrupt
the endocrine system. The research team also found other plasticizers, chemicals that are emerging as replacements to phthalates.

"We found phthalates and other plasticizers are widespread in prepared
foods available at U.S. fast food chains, a finding that means
many consumers are getting a side of potentially unhealthy chemicals
along with their meal," Lariah Edwards, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scientist at GW, said. "Stronger regulations are needed to
help keep these harmful chemicals out of the food supply." Previously,
a GW research team led by Ami Zota, a professor of environmental and occupational health, looked at fast food consumption in a national
survey and found people who reported eating more fast foods had higher
levels of phthalates. No one has looked at the link between fast food
and non-phthalate plasticizers, which are used in place of banned or
restricted phthalates in food packaging and processing equipment.

In this study, Edwards, Zota and their colleagues purchased 64 fast food
items from different restaurants and asked for three pairs of unused
food handling gloves. The team tested food items and the gloves for 11
kinds of phthalates and plasticizers, finding that:
* 81% of the food samples studied contained a phthalate called DnBP
and 70%
contained DEHP. Both these chemicals have been linked in numerous
studies to fertility and reproductive problems in humans. These
phthalates can also increase risk for learning, attention, and
behavioral disorders in childhood.

* 86% of the foods contained the replacement plasticizer known as
DEHT, a
chemical that needs further study to determine its impact on
human health.

* Foods containing meats, such as cheeseburgers and chicken burritos,
had
higher levels of the chemicals studied.

* Chicken burritos and cheeseburgers had the highest levels of
DEHT. The
researchers noted that food handling gloves collected from the
same restaurants also contained this chemical.

* Cheese pizzas had the lowest levels of most chemicals tested.

Phthalates and replacement plasticizers are chemicals used to make
plastics soft and can migrate out of plastics into the food, which
is ingested. Some sources of plastics include food handling gloves,
industrial tubing, food conveyor belts and the outer packaging used to
wrap fast food meals available in restaurants.

Previous research by Zota's team suggests that people who eat food
cooked at home have lower levels of these chemicals in their bodies,
probably because home cooks do not use food handling gloves or plastic packaging. To avoid these industrial chemicals, consumers can switch
to mostly home cooked meals, which are often healthier than fast food,
Edwards said.

Both Edwards and Zota say their study suggests the need for greater
scrutiny and regulation of chemicals used to make food. They point out
that replacement plasticizers are increasingly used to replace banned
or restricted phthalates yet the studies needed to show that they are
safe have yet to be done.

The study also raises the concern that certain racial/minority groups
may be disproportionately affected by these chemicals.

"Disadvantaged neighborhoods often have plenty of fast food outlets, but limited access to healthier foods like fruits and vegetables," Zota said.

"Additional research needs to be done to find out whether people living
in such food deserts are at higher risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals." This research was supported by the Passport Foundation,
Forsythia Foundation and Marisla Foundation.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by George_Washington_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lariah Edwards, Nathan L. McCray, Brianna N. VanNoy, Alice Yau,
Ruth J.

Geller, Gary Adamkiewicz, Ami R. Zota. Phthalate and novel
plasticizer concentrations in food items from U.S. fast food
chains: a preliminary analysis. Journal of Exposure Science &
Environmental Epidemiology, 2021; DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00392-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211027085324.htm

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