Widespread evidence for packaging-related chemicals in humans

Olwenn Martin and colleagues contributed to a new study led and funded by the Food Packaging Forum that provides an overview of chemicals from food contact materials that are present in humans. This research, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, reveals the extent to which chemicals used in food packaging and other food contact articles have been found in human bodies globally, and it highlights significant gaps in biomonitoring and toxicity data.

Key Findings:

• 3601 chemicals found in humans are either used in the manufacture of food contact materials or present in the final articles, such as packaging and kitchenware. This represents 25% of the more than 14,000 known food contact chemicals.
• Much evidence exists for a few groups of chemicals, such as bisphenols, PFAS, phthalates, metals, and volatile organic compounds. They are regularly found in food contact materials and in human samples. Many of these chemicals have hazard properties of concern and have been linked to harming human health.
• For other chemicals that transfer from the packaging into the food, such as synthetic antioxidants and oligomers, little is known about their presence and fate in humans. Potential hazards of many of these chemicals have not been sufficiently investigated.

The Food Packaging Forum has developed an interactive dashboard containing all of the data in the new study known as the FCChumon database (pw: fcchumon2024). This free tool enables policymakers, public health researchers, food industry decision makers and all other stakeholders to browse and search through the data.

While there still exist other exposure sources for many food contact chemicals (FCCs), these findings underscore the urgent need to bridge knowledge gaps regarding human exposure to FCCs and their potential health impacts. These data suggest a significant public health concern, necessitating prioritized action to reduce human exposure to hazardous chemicals from FCCs.

Study: Geueke B., Parkinson, L.V., Groh K. J., Kassotis C. D., Maffini M. V., Martin O. V., Zimmermann L., Scheringer, M., and Muncke J. (2024) Evidence for widespread human exposure to food contact chemicals. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00718-2; online: September 17, 2024

Database: FCChumon (currently password-protected: fcchumon2024)

Video abstract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI4a9SFfVKg&t=11s

About the Food Packaging Forum: The Food Packaging Forum Foundation (FPF) is a charitable, non-profit foundation registered and based in Zurich, Switzerland. FPF enables stakeholders to make better decisions by applying the latest science on chemicals in food contact materials and on the environmental impacts of food packaging. Through its independent, balanced, and science-based publications and tools, the Food Packaging Forum contributes to protecting human and environmental health.

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