ilm used by supermarkets to wrap meat and vegetables may contain banned toxic plasticizers. Fifteen samples of polyvinyl chloride plastic wrap out of 16 samples sent for tests were found to contain bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), some at an alarming level, CCTV said. The plastic film was from produce bought in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, but CCTV did not name the brands or the supermarkets involved. The presence of DEHA can only be determined when it reaches 0.05 percent, and the highest content of DEHA in the samples was 472 times that level, CCTV said.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued a circular banning the use of DEHA in plastic wrap in 2005. "DEHA could lead to the disorder of endocrine system, impair male sexual function and cause female sexual precocity, and pose big risks to the genital development of infants," said Dong Jinshi, vice president of the International Food Packaging Association.
Dong said the banned substance can leak out and penetrate into food more easily when the plastic wrap is used for foods with a high level of fat.
