Food Packaging Chemicals Are Seeping Into Human Bodies — Here's What That Means For Your Health

Plastics and other manufactured materials surround us and contact even the healthiest food, potentially causing chemicals to accumulate in our bodies, a new study suggests. miniseries/Getty ImagesThere's new evidence that chemicals can migrate to human bodies via material like plastic containers.It's not clear what the health risks may be, but at least a few of the chemicals are known hazards.Researchers say it's concerning that thousands of these food contact chemicals are showing up in humansNew research suggests you're being exposed to thousands of chemicals, including hazardous substances, that can leach into the human body through food- and beverage-related material like plastic bottles and takeout containers.It's not a surprise that our environment is full of contaminants, like microplastics, that can accumulate in our bodiesBut researchers in a recent study were taken aback by just how many chemicals in our everyday items can migrate into humans, and said it's "concerning" that we don't fully understand the risks.The researchers, led by scientists from a Swiss nonprofit called the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, looked at data on more than 14,000 food contact chemicals — substances in containers or other materials that touch what we eat and drink.The study, published September 17 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, explained that 25% of the chemicals they were studying — about 3,601 substances — showed up inside the human body, in samples including skin, hair, blood, breast milk, and fat tissue.That suggests manufacturing chemicals are migrating into our bodies from items we use to store, package, or cook our food.