Plastic Food Wrap Poses Food Safety Risk

Foods wrapped in plastic wrap may expose people to bisphenol A and phthalates, compounds regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health. Ruthann A Rudel, from the Silent Spring Institute (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues conducted a short intervention trial involving five families, each with two children, who were enrolled in a three-phase study that lasted eight days.  Making the switch to fresh food resulted in a 66% drop in participants’ urinary concentration of bisphenol A, and metabolites of a commonly used phthalate — bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP — fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days.  The team reports that: “BPA and DEHP exposures were substantially reduced when participants’ diets were restricted to food with limited packaging.”