Plastic wrap, cardboard contain chemicals linked to breast cancer: Study

A recent study has found 200 chemicals in food packaging that may lead to breast cancer, urging preventive measures. Published in Frontiers of Toxicology, the research highlights significant risks from everyday items like plastic and cardboard.

In Short

• Food packaging products contain chemicals linked to breast cancer
• The chemicals found in these food packaging items included PFAs, bisphenols and phthalates
• Cancer prevention by reducing hazardous chemicals in your daily life is under-explored, say researchers

A recent study has identified 200 chemicals in food packages that can potentially lead to breast cancer. The researchers from the Food Packaging Forum highlighted the importance of preventive measures to reduce these chemicals in everyday products.

The products that contained these harmful chemicals included cardboard, shrink wraps or plastic wrap, and plastic. Published in Frontiers of Toxicology, the study reported that 143 chemicals found in plastic and 89 chemicals in cardboard were linked to the development of breast cancer.

The chemicals found in these food packaging items included PFAs, bisphenols and phthalates - which are already considered hazardous by researchers.

PFAs have been nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily. At first, they resist breaking down and therefore, build up in the body over time.

"This study is important because it shows that there is a huge opportunity for prevention of human exposure to breast cancer-causing chemicals," said Jane Muncke, Managing Director of the Food Packaging Forum and co-author of the study.

"The potential for cancer prevention by reducing hazardous chemicals in your daily life is under-explored and deserves much more attention," she added.

Focusing on the most recent studies, evidence shows exposure to 76 suspected carcinogens for breast cancer from food contact materials (FCMs) worldwide.

Of these, 61 (80%) are linked to plastics, indicating ongoing global exposure to these chemicals under practical usage conditions.

This data comes just days after a peer-reviewed study published in Nature revealed that over 3,600 chemicals, including some known carcinogens, transfer from food packaging to humans.

The study cross-referenced 14,000 chemicals approved for food contact with biomonitoring databases, though researchers noted this offers only a partial view of human chemical exposure.

"Humans are exposed to these chemicals through food, but the full scope of exposure is still unknown. People encounter synthetic chemicals from food, drugs, household products, and environmental pollutants," the study stated.

Researchers warned that these chemicals can interact with each other, pointing to a single sample that had up to 30 different PFAs.