High Levels of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Had Been Detected on Fast Food Packaging in Canada

The findings of a recent study published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, suggested that food packaging directly exposes people to PFAS, which have been linked to serious health effects, such as increased cancer risk and immune system damage, by contaminating the food they eat.

Furthermore, when discarded packaging enters waste streams, PFAS enter the environment, where they will never degrade.

Because of the health and environmental risks, 11 U.S. states have banned PFAS from most food packaging, and two major restaurant chains have committed to becoming PFAS-free by 2025.

Toxic PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Canadian Fast-Food Packaging

(Photo : JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images)

“As Canada restricts single-use plastics in food-service ware, our research shows that what we like to think of as better alternatives, such as paper wrappers and compostable bowls, are not so safe and ‘green’ after all,” said Miriam Diamond, professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, as per Phys.org.

The researchers collected 42 paper-based wrappers and bowls from Toronto fast-food restaurants for testing for total fluorine, an indicator of PFAS.

They then conducted a thorough examination of eight of the samples with high levels of total fluorine.

PFAS levels in fiber-based molded bowls, which are marketed as “compostable,” were three to ten times higher than in doughnut and pastry bags.

As a water and grease repellent, PFAS is added to these bowls and bags.

Critically, the researchers discovered that after two years of storage, the concentration of PFAS decreased by up to 85%, contradicting claims that polymeric PFAS (a type composed of larger molecules) does not degrade and escape from products.

The release of PFAS from food packaging into indoor air creates a new avenue for human exposure to these chemicals, which could cause a multitude of issues.

Also Read: Harmful “Forever Chemicals” Found in Insecticides Commonly Used in the US

What Are The Health Effects Of PFAS?

A large number of studies have looked into possible links between per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in the blood and adverse health effects in people, as per the CDC.

However, not all of these studies involved the same populations, types of exposure, or PFAS.

As a result, these various studies reported a wide range of health outcomes.

Most animal studies have used PFAS doses that are higher than what people are exposed to in the environment.

According to these animal studies, PFAS can harm the liver and the immune system.

In lab animals, PFAS has also been linked to low birth weight, birth defects, delayed development, and newborn deaths.

Based on these studies, humans and animals react differently to PFAS, and not all of the effects seen in animals are likely to occur in humans.

Scientists have developed methods for estimating how exposure and effects in animals compare to those in humans.

More research may change our understanding of the link between PFAS exposure and human health effects.

Related article: U.S. Water Supply Contaminated by 42,000 Toxic “Forever Chemicals”