Compostable packaging is popular for environmental reasons, but it can be treated with ‘forever chemicals’ linked to health problems
in 2021 how chemical manufacturers had hid research showing that fluorotelomers may also be highly toxic, and the new study highlights how the compounds can move from packaging into food. Researchers say the paper highlights the need to ban the use of PFAS in food packaging.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 14,000 chemicals often used to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and they areto cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems.
University of Toronto study coauthor Miriam Diamond said that researchers suspect that 6:2 FTOH and similar compounds are no longer being added to food packaging, but the chemicals’ presence may be a byproduct of the use of another group of PFAS called “fluoropolymers”. That process could create a loophole. While companies may no longer add 6:2 FTOH to food packaging and are in compliance with the phaseout, the compound still seems to end up in packaging after manufacture.
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