Eternal chemicals that endanger human life

2024-05-17 09:48:00, Shëndeti CNA

Eternal chemicals that endanger human life

Illustrative photo

Global research by the Food Packaging Foundation from Zurich showed that around the world, food is packaged in containers or paper that contain up to 61 types of synthetic chemicals that are very difficult to break down in nature.

"These so-called eternal chemicals, which bear such a name because, when they reach the natural environment, they break down very quickly, are not on the list of globally approved substances that can come into contact with food products," said a from the research participants, a doctor of microbiology Brigitte Gueke.

She explained that these substances are used to coat the packages with a thin layer of fluoropolymer that is resistant to heat, grease stains and water.

"It is completely unclear how and why such dangerous chemicals ended up in food packaging, especially since scientists have been able to reliably identify the origin and harm of only two-thirds of these substances, while the nature and degree of risk to health and the rest is still unknown to science", said Gueke.

The damage to health is manifold

As she puts it, despite this, "eternal chemicals" have been massively used around the world for decades in the production of dishes, pesticides, and cosmetic products simply because of their ability to repel moisture, water, and grease.

Due to the widespread use of these dangerous substances, their presence has been detected in human blood, breast milk, water, as well as in agricultural soils. Previous scientific analysis shows that these chemicals can contribute to the occurrence of some types of cancer, can cause reproductive problems and weaken the immune system. Also, the new findings lead to the conclusion that "lifelong chemicals" may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

During the research, scientists of the Zurich Foundation found 68 chemicals of this type in packaging samples worldwide, but seven of these "eternal" substances are on the list of internationally permitted food packaging.

It is said that there is a suspicion that those harmful substances in the packaging appeared as a result of subsequent chemical processes during production and not only due to the carelessness of the manufacturer./ CNA