Phthalates Do Not Compete!

Aside from our growing (sorry) obesity issues, and the concomitant increase in severe medical consequences, changes in American eating habits have introduced new hitherto unknown health risks. The newest culprits are “phthalates, a ubiquitous class of chemicals linked to all sorts of ailments including reduced semen quality, diabetes, lower IQ, andcancer.” Mother Jones, April 4^th. Such chemicals tend to be more associated with food processing and containers found in restaurant preparation and are less frequent when basic foods are prepared at home.

We live in a hectic and exceptionally competitive society. Americans work some of the longest hours on earth, and with wage stagnation for 70% of us (sorry Donald, those income increases you like to brag about are mostly sticking to the higher earners), many of us have to work more, even at two or more jobs, to make ends meet. High school students are going to college more, thus there is greater competition for the best spots at the “right” colleges. College students are facing curriculum demands and pressures from a shifting job market. We are severely time-impaired. The result: less time for the “other stuff,” and that has translated into a huge increase in our reliance on “eating out,” albeit way too much focused on fast (cheap) food, especially with teens.

“Back in 1970, Americans only spent 26 percent of all their food expenses at restaurants or cafeterias. In 2014, that number rose to 44 percent. Today, about half of the country reportedly ‘hates’ cooking and more than half of total US food dollars is spent at restaurants, according to the US Department of Agriculture.” Mother Jones. Wow!

A study from George Washington University (including researchers from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco), released on March 29^th by Environment International, fills in many of the details. “The 10,253 participants in the study were asked to recall what they ate and where their food came from in the previous 24 hours. The researchers then analyzed the links between what people ate and the levels of phthalate break-down products found in each participant's urine sample.

“The team found that 61 percent of the participants reported dining out the previous day. In addition, the researchers found:

• The association between phthalate exposure and dining out was significant for all age groups but the magnitude of association was highest for teenagers;
• Adolescents who were high consumers of fast food and other food purchased outside the home had 55 percent higher levels of phthalates compared to those who only consumed food at home;
• Certain foods, and especially cheeseburgers and other sandwiches, were associated with increased levels of phthalates -- but only if they were purchased at a fast-food outlet, restaurant or cafeteria. The study found that sandwiches consumed at fast food outlets, restaurants or cafeterias were associated with 30 percent higher phthalate levels in all age groups.” ScienceDaily.com, March 29^th.

Most of us simply are not aware of the problem or the source of these chemicals. “Phthalates aren’t intentional food additives; they’re a group of chemicals mixed with plastics to make them more flexible, but they can also leach into our food, research suggests, through contact with products like plastic containers, food-handling gloves, and processing equipment.” Mother Jones. The effect of phthalates in the body are cumulative; the more you ingest them, the more they accumulate in your body.

“A previous study by [senior author Ami Zota, ScD, MS, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University] and colleagues suggested that fast food may expose consumers to higher levels of phthalates. That study found that people who ate the most fast food, burgers, fries and other foods, had phthalate levels that were as much as 40 percent higher than people who rarely ate such foods.

“The new study looked more broadly at dining out -- not just at fast-food outlets -- and found that it was significantly associated with increased exposure to phthalates. The authors say the findings are worrisome because two-thirds of the U.S. population eats at least some food outside the home daily…

“The team used an innovative method of assessing real-world exposures to multiple phthalates, called cumulative phthalate exposure, which takes into account evidence that some phthalates are more toxic than others. The National Academies of Sciences has weighed in twice on phthalates -- first in a 2008 report, they recommended using cumulative risk assessments in order to estimate the human health risk posed by this class of chemicals; and then in 2017 with a report finding that certain phthalates are presumed to be reproductive hazards to humans.

“Many products contain phthalates, including take-home boxes, gloves used in handling food, food processing equipment and other items used in the production of restaurant, cafeteria and fast food meals. Previous research suggests these chemicals can leach from plastic containers or wrapping into food.” ScienceDaily.com.

One solution is to cook more at home, especially using basic, unprocessed ingredients. But that is not an option for lots of folks, especially college students who don’t even have access to a kitchen. High-end eateries probably use fewer toxic containers, but uncoated paper products (sorry Chinese food fans) are probably a better “take home” choice… even though that does not fix the use of such toxins in the preparation process itself. It is unlikely that the current “get rid of consumer-protection regulations” federal government will mandate changes, but increasingly general awareness has to force the industry to make some new and better choices. At least you now know.

            I’m Peter Dekom, and in an increasingly time-impaired and complex society, we are constantly creating serious new risks for ourselves.