Yet another study on the dangers of phthalates in fast food has grabbed headlines in the mainstream media, even though it was first published two years ago!

The study, which looked at fast food consumption and exposure to these chemicals, was conducted by researchers at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. It was first published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The study's lead author Ami Zota, ScD, MS, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Michigan Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, said in an article published April 13, 2016, that "People who eat fast food have up to 40 percent phthalates in their bodies. "Our findings raise concerns because phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems in children and adults."

Phthalates are an "industrial chemical used to make packaging materials, straws for dairy products and other items used in the production of fast food." Other studies have shown that these chemicals can precipitate out of plastic food packaging, contaminating highly processed foods.

Despite the fact that no single study in the past few decades has definitively established that BPA, BPS and any of the chemicals in the phthalates DiNP(diisodecyl phthalate) and DEHP(diethylhexyl phthalate) used in plastics cause cancer or endocrine disruption, rumors continue to circulate.

Zota and her colleagues looked at data from 8,877 participants who had answered detailed questions about their diets, including consumption of fast food, in the previous 24 hours. These participants also provided the researchers with a urine sample to test for two specific phthalates. — DEHP and DINP— — Use as a plasticizer.

Researchers did not find A link between total fast food consumption and BPA. In part, our zero finding can be explained by the fact that BPA may be lowest in non-canned foods compared to canned foods and non-dietary sources ((e.g., contact with thermal paper receipts)).

Does this mean that BPA is no longer present? Re-read the October 2016 blog post "The Government's endless War on BPA: Your Tax at Work," which argues that decades of research show "there are no proven cases of anyone being adversely affected by BPA exposure from consumer products."

Researchers at the Milken Institute looked for exposure to BPA, "another chemical found in plastic food packaging," and "found no link between fast food intake and BPA." But Zota and her colleagues did find that those who ate fast food (in the 24 hours before answering questions about their food intake) had higher levels of BPA than those who didn't.

The researchers also found that urine samples of DEHP were 23.8 percent higher among those who ate fast food compared to those who did not eat fast food in the 24 hours prior to the test. "These fast food lovers had nearly 40 percent more DiNP metabolites in their urine."

Noting that they found no evidence of cancer or other diseases on these tests, this study proves that much of what we put in our bodies breaks down and is excreted from our bodies.

The Milken Institute's SPH also found that "grains and meat products are the most important contributors to phthalate exposure, "Zota said." Grains include a wide variety of foods such as breads, cakes, pizza, burritos, rice and noodles." He cited examples of other studies that "also found grains to be a significant source of exposure to these potentially harmful chemicals."

Many of these studies point to the "leaching" of plastics as the cause of the presence of chemicals in human urine. However, plastics are such that the molecular bonds are very strong and long-lasting. Over the past decade, the low molecular weight phthalates in many products have been gradually replaced by high molecular weight phthalates (which have more than 6 carbons in their main chain, giving them greater durability and durability) in the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Do the plastics that use these high molecular weight phthalates have the ability to "filter out" such chemical components?

In addition, there are many other products that use these phthalates, including casings for pharmaceutical tablets and nutritional supplements, modern electronics and medical applications such as catheters and blood transfusion devices.

The Milken Institute SPH did not ask people about their intake of medications or nutritional medications, or test whether participants had already been exposed to electronics, or if catheters had been used. They simply focused on food, although the researchers acknowledge that "the complexity and variability of fast food production makes it difficult to identify the source of high molecular weight phthalates, although there are some possible sources, including PVC gloves, PVC pipes, and plastic packaging."

The Milken Institute findings also suggest that the association between fast food intake and phthalate exposure is not consistent across the population." "Different people have different reactions to a wide variety of chemicals that are ubiquitous in our society and come from a wide variety of sources." — Even from the air we breathe and the water we drink."

Note that in an effort to dig deeper into this two-year long study and crack down on the fast food industry's use of plastic packaging, giving groups like As You Sow more reasons to ban plastic, the Milken Institute did not ask participants whether they received fast food in plastic or paper/cardboard packaging. Chemicals are also used in the manufacture of paper and cardboard. That said, the target of this study is plastic.

It is time for the plastics industry to face up to these ongoing attacks on plastics and start conducting scientific research on plastics, increasing publicity and clearing their name.

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