A new study from the Food Packaging Forum has revealed that chemicals linked to the development of breast cancer have been found in food contact materials available around the world, including in the EU.

The authors of the study, which was published in Frontiers in Toxicology, compared a list of potentially breast cancer-causing chemicals with the Food Packaging Forum’s own database on chemicals that can migrate or be extracted from food contact materials.

They found that out of the 921 chemicals that have been linked to breast cancer, 189 have been detected in food packaging and other materials.

The chemicals identified included multiple PFAS, bisphenols, and phthalates. 143 of the 189 chemicals have been detected in plastics, and 89 in paper and board. Some of these chemicals have been found to transfer from the materials into food, and could therefore be ingested by people.

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

The authors highlight that many countries around the world intend to limit carcinogenic chemicals in food contact materials, but this study demonstrates that there are big gaps in current regulations.

The EU’s revision of its legislation on food contact materials has been subject to a series of delays. CHEM Trust is calling for the regulation to be updated to properly protect health, and prevent these harmful chemicals from being in food packaging and other food contact materials.

Read more on the Toxic-Free Food Packaging website.

Read more about how to reduce your risk of exposure to harmful chemicals in food, food packaging and when cooking.