...
By Jasmine Laws
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A number of fast food favorites from major chains across the U.S. have high levels of certain plastic chemicals, according to the database PlasticList.
The fast food items were found to have high levels of a group of chemicals called phthalates, which are commonly found in products that have contact with plastics during the producing, packaging or delivering process.
Why It Matters
While they are commonly found in consumer products, these plastic chemicals are also known to leach into food products, and studies have demonstrated the harm they can cause to human health.
Read More on News
Research has shown that chronic exposure to phthalates will adversely affect the endocrine system, the functioning of multiple organs, pregnancy, child growth and development, and the reproductive system.
As a result, there have been calls over the years to get these chemicals banned from use. "Phthalates are still being detected in food and specifically in fast food and ultra processed food because the [Food and Drug Administration] has not banned the use of these chemicals despite mounting evidence of human health harm and a petition to end use filed back in 2016," the Environmental Working Group's Acting Chief Science Officer David Andrews told Newsweek.
...
The Fast Food Favorites High In Plastics
According to the database PlasticList, a number of fast food favorites have high levels of plastic in them. For example, Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken Burrito had more than 14,000 nanograms per serving of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP).
DEHP, which has been found to increase the risk of cancer and birth defects, can be found in plastic food packaging materials. The burrito had a DEHP amount that was higher than 92 percent of all other products on the database.
The Taco Bell product also had a high level of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), commonly used in consumer products, as well as in adhesives, wax, ink, and other items.
It had a DMP level higher than 74 percent of all the other food items on the database, at more than 1,000 nanograms per serving. DMP has been found to induce carcinogenic activity in rats.
Another product high in plastics was McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese, which had a high level of diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) - higher than 72 percent of all other items on the database—and a very high level of bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT)—higher than 93 percent of all the other items on the database at 406,020 nanograms per serving.
Other fast food items that were shown to have very high levels of different plastics included Burger King's chicken nuggets and its Whopper with cheese.
The Whoopers had the highest levels of DEHT, at between 3.3 and 5.8 million nanograms per serving. They also had high levels of di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), which were between 75 and 85 percent higher than all the other food items in the database.
DEHT has previously been linked with cardiovascular disease in people aged 55 to 64 globally, and is thought to have caused over 356,000 heart disease deaths in 2018.
Wendy's burgers also had some of the highest levels of DEHT—between 2.9 to 3.6 million nanograms per serving, and they also had high levels of DEHA and other plastics.
Shake Shack's cheeseburgers also had some of the highest levels of plastics, with their DEHP levels higher than 95 to 98 percent of all the food items in the database. Their vanilla shakes also had high levels of DEHA.
Newsweek has contacted Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Shake Shack via email for comment.
Why Do Fast Food Items Contain More Plastic Chemicals?
"Phthalates are molecules that sit between the plastic polymer chains," Susanne Brander, a professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University, told Newsweek.
The phthalates work by making the plastic polymer "more flexible but because they’re not strongly bound to the plastic polymer, they can leach out and that’s why they get into our food," she said.
Due to the widespread use and longevity of phthalates, they can "found in ambient air, drinking water, and various foods," Rolf Halden, director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering and professor at Arizona State University, told Newsweek.
"Highly processed foods are particularly likely to contain one or multiple plastic components and potentially at elevated concentrations, due to the large number of ingredients used, and the extensive processing which can introduce harmful substances from contact with manufacturing machineries and plastic packaging," he said.
This is of great concern as phthalates are "known to exhibit hormone-like effects in animals and humans, leading to adverse impacts on organ development, metabolism, reproductive function, behavior, and cancer susceptibility," he added.
Other Plastics Found In Fast Food
Phthalates are different from microplastics, although microplastics have also been found in highly processed products as well. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters commonly found in the environment, and their impact on human health has been gaining increasing attention in recent years.
Food processing and plastic packaging are a "source of contamination," Kurunthachalam Kannan, a professor in the College of Integrated Health Sciences at the University at Albany, told Newsweek.
Phoebe Stapleton, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Rutgers University, told Newsweek that the more processed a food or beverage is, or "the more steps there are between the farm and the table, the greater likelihood there is for contamination with plastic particles"—so given how processed fast food products tend to be, it is not hugely surprising they also may have microplastic contamination.
This is a concern because studies are showing that microplastics, particularly nanoplastics, can "contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to several chronic diseases," Kannan said.
Microplastics can also "accumulate in human tissues and have been recently associated with cardiovascular events when accumulated in arteries," Brander said.
Stapleton said that it has become evident that micro- and nanoplastics are "within human bodies. They have been identified in all tissues examined up to this point, including our blood, feces, liver, kidney, testicles, placenta, and brains."
The problem is "finding products with no micro- and nanoplastics is nearly impossible," she said. However, selecting less processed foods and preparing food at home while limiting contact with plastics through avoiding cutting boards, cookware, and storage containers made from plastic could help reduce exposure, she added.
However, Brander said it’s "not possible to avoid all microplastics and we need systemic change to reduce exposure in foods more broadly and to make minimally processed foods more affordable and accessible to everyone."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines