Danish researchers will on Monday reveal a new threat to the health of European consumers with evidence of dangerously high levels of carcinogenic substances in packaged foods ranging from cheese to chocolate to pasta sauce.
The research, published in Borsens Nyhedsmagasin, Denmark's leading business magazine, was carried out by Steins Laboratory, an independent laboratory that also has the Danish state contract for mad cow disease tests.
The problem centres on multi-layered plastic laminates - heavy-grade plastic wrappings used for packaging sliced meat, cheese, sweets, ice lollies and many other foodstuffs.
These plastic laminates are composed of several layers of thinner film which are usually fused together with a glue containing aromatic amines, agents recognised by the World Health Organization as carcinogenic.
Aromatic amines are also under suspicion as one of the culprits in the increased incidence of allergies in the western world.
The several hundred samples taken in the test included foods that are produced and sold all over Europe.
The test results showed that eight out of ten of the tested foodstuffs contained cancer-causing glue residues in quantities that exceeded the recommended safe limits by as much as 30 to 40 times.
One product - a mozzarella cheese from Italy - contained 100 times the limit recognised in Europe as safe.
The problem of carcinogenic glue residues migrating into foods is confined to laminated packaging material and does not apply to foods wrapped in household-grade cling film, Borsens Nyhedsmagasin said.
Plastic Food Packaging:
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saran wrap carcinogenic
DEHP in packaging
Plastic food packaging, "in addition to creating unnecessary waste that has to go somewhere,
also creates health problems. Some types of plastic are carcinogenic, others migrate from packaging into our food
and water. Typically, the softer the plastic, the less chemically stable it is, and the more it vaporizes over time
even after the smell disappears. Some plastic food wraps and flexible plastic food containers are made from
poly vinyl chloride (PVC). PVC can cause cancer, birth defects, genetic changes, vision failure and liver
dysfunction. When PVC is burned in incinerators it creates Dioxin, a very potent known carcinogen that accumulates
in fat tissue. Dioxin lands on the crops that we and the animals eat, organic and conventional alike. The amount
ingested is greatly reduced by avoiding meat and dairy products as most toxins, including Dioxin,
tend to accumulate in fat tissue. Also, be sure to choose canned foods with enamel lining to avoid exposure to lead."
Greenhouse Gases Glossary
Alternatives to Packaging
"Foodboard---used in food packaging, is usually made from virgin 100% bleached pulp." http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/helm/3434WOOD/notes3/paperboard.html