'Harmful Chemicals' Can Be Found In Fast Food Wrappers, Study Says

Researchers found chemicals in fast food packaging that are harmful. These substances can come with the wrappers used for certain fast foods.

According to a report, chemicals that have been associated with cancer are found in packaging for fast foods. It is indicated that chemicals such as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are the ones used in nonstick products. These may be used in the wrappers for fast foods.

Manufacturers of fast food wrappers may use these chemicals to avoid leak. There are certain illnesses associated if one is exposed to these chemicals like kidney and testicular cancer. These can also lead to low birth weight, thyroid disease and immunotoxicity in children.

A report indicates that team of scientists' collected 400 fast food serving materials from 27 fast-food chains. The team together with Graham Peaslee, a physics professor at the University of Notre Dame discovered that fluorine levels in the samples that they have gathered.

In this study, a third of the fast food packaging samples had fluorinated chemicals. The materials that did not have direct contact with food do not contain the said chemicals. It is not only the wrappers from fast food that contain these chemicals, the microwave popcorn bags also contain these according to Peaslee's other study.

Meanehile, it's reported that these chemicals that are found on the wrappers can be transported to the food. This is the process as to how the person can be contaminated with these harmful chemicals. It is noted that the migration of the chemicals from the wrapper to the food may depend on the temperature of the food.

For consumers, there is no easy way to detect if a certain food has been contaminated by the chemicals. The best thing to do is transfer the food out of the wrapper to a container as early as possible.