Eating warm meals from plastic containers linked to higher levels of phthalates

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-10-11 13:29

New Zealand

PHOTO: By Kathleen Franklin - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycsus/4311836838, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78951553

For the first time in NZ, researchers tested urine samples from 600 New Zealanders to see how many phthalates we're exposed to on a national level. Phthalates are chemicals commonly used in plastics to make them more flexible and durable, but they can easily leak into food, water, and even our bodies. New Zealander levels were in the middle of the pack compared to other countries. However, a small number of people did exceed guidance values for some phthalates, meaning the research team can’t confidently rule out potential health effects. The authors suggest that reducing phthalates in food packaging and storage materials could be an effective way to reduce exposure.

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conference: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

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Organisation/s: Massey University

Funder: This work was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. The funder had no role in study design, in the collection, or in the analysis and interpretation of data.

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