Fast food full of phthalates and plasticizers
According to a recent research, fast food often contains large amounts of plastic-softening chemicals, which may cause hormone disruption, infertility, and cognitive difficulties.
Phthalates and other "replacement plasticizers" are representing a big problem. These compounds are thought to enter food via contact with plastic packaging or the gloves used by people who make it, according to researchers. According to the study's findings, between 70% and 86% of the fast-food meals they examined had some sort of phthalate or plasticizer.
During the study, 64 meal samples were ordered from a range of fast-food businesses in Texas to gather insight into the problem. Moreover, 3 pairs of unused food handling gloves were also obtained. After that, 11 different kinds of phthalates and plasticizers were evaluated on both the food and the gloves. The findings were that ten out of the eleven chemicals were discovered in the foods that were analyzed. A phthalate known as DnBP, associated with an increased risk of asthma, was identified in more than 80% of the food samples, while a plasticizer known as DEHT, which is typically found in food gloves, was found in 86%. Furthermore, DEHP, a phthalate which is associated with causing fertility problems, was found in almost 70% of the samples. The greatest concentrations of phthalates were detected in meat, whereas the lowest concentrations were observed in French fries and cheese pizza.
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