Recycled and reused food contact plastics are ‘vectors’ for toxins – study

Research provides a unique review of contact chemicals in packaging, utensils, plates, etc and how they contaminate food

Recycled and reused food contact plastics are vectors for spreading chemicals of concern" because they accumulate and release hundreds of dangerous toxins like styrene, benzene, bisphenol, heavy metals, formaldehyde and phthalates, new research finds.

The study assessed hundreds of scientific publications on plastic and recycled plastic to provide a first-of-its-kind systematic review of food contact chemicals in food packaging, utensils, plates and other items and what is known about how the substances contaminate food.