A commentary piece in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health said tiny amounts of synthetic chemicals can leach into the foods humans consume.
Some cancer causing materials, such as formaldehyde, are legally used in FCMs.
Some plastic bottles and melamine tableware contain formaldehyde, but at levels so low they are currently considered safe.
A lifelong exposure to these food contact materials (FCMs) “is a cause for concern for several reasons,” said the report.
It said far too little is known about the long-term impact of these FCMS.
The scientists say hormone disruption can result from certain FCMs, including bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan, and phthalates.
The report urges toxicology analysis of more FCMs in food packaging, as well as a population-based assessment to assess the potential links between food-contact chemicals and chronic medical conditions.
The World Health Organisation and the UN Environment Programme recently said the issue is a ‘global public health threat’, and it is vital ‘knowledge gaps’ are reliably filled.
“Whereas the science for some of these substances is being debated and policy makers struggle to satisfy the needs of stakeholders, consumers remain exposed to these chemicals daily, mostly unknowingly,” the authors indicated.
“Since most foods are packaged, and the entire population is likely to be exposed, it is of utmost importance that gaps in knowledge are reliably and rapidly filled,” they urged.
But some experts have dismissed the report as alarmist.
David Coggon, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the University of Southampton, said leaching of chemicals from food contact materials may pose risks to health but the European Food Safety Authority has an expert panel that advises on this problem.
He said that based on toxicological assessment, maximum levels of contamination from materials such as plastics are legally prescribed, and testing is carried out to ensure compliance.
“Sometimes products have to be withdrawn because they breach the limits. That said, several aspects of the article are misleading. While formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen, there is strong evidence that any effects on the risk of cancer, even from very prolonged high exposures, are small. Moreover, formaldehyde is formed naturally in the body, for example from methanol that is present in fruit. Thus we should only be concerned about relatively high exposures to the compound, and even then any risks will be extremely small.”
