A part of the fast food packaging contains chemical substances harmful to the human body

ByWaferboard

Massachusetts-based NPO "Silent spring Institute"When examining food packaging paper, cardboard boxes, and drink containers used in fast food restaurants, it is one of fluorine compounds that is a chemical substance that may dissolve into food - PFAS ( Polyfluoroalkyl material) was found to have been contained.

Fluorinated Compounds in U. S. Fast Food Packaging - Environmental Science & Technology Letters (ACS Publications)
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00435


Troubling chemicals found in wide range of fast-food wrappers - The Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/1/14464370/fast-food-chemical-wrapper-pfas-pfoa

According to a paper published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the Silent Spring Laboratories collected 27 samples of fast food outlets in the United States and collected a total of less than 400 samples.

As a result, 56% of dessert and bread wrapping paper · 38% of sandwiches and hamburger wrapping paper (46% of the total "wrapping paper" in total) · 20% of cardboard containers containing potatoes etc. , PFAS was detected. PFAS was not detected from the paper cup.


Since PFAS is resistant to oil, water, heat and dirt, it is used in outdoor goods and carpets, furniture, foam for fire fighting, cosmetics, dental floss, popcorn containers made with microwave ovens, cooking utensils and so on.

However, it is pointed out that fluorine compounds are not harmful to the human body, and cause such as high cholesterol, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, pregnancy hypertension, ulcerative colitis, and the like. In West Virginia state, teflon processing factory is conducting, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) etc. used as coating material etc is mixed in drinking water. 75 thousand people including neighbors resided in the accident.

The stores targeted for research include Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc. However, it was not included in the research subject "Which chain stores are applicable to a large number of packages?" Also, it is not subject to research whether PFAS is blended into food.

It is not a research that "harmful substances were actually dissolved in food in practice", but it may be a thought that wrapping fast food in wrapping paper for too long.