In recent years, beeswax wraps have entered the market as a reusable packaging option widely perceived as a more sustainable alternative to plastic film wraps. However, chlorinated paraffins (CPs), a group of chemicals used as flame retardants, plasticizers, and lubricants, have been detected in bee products, including beeswax. In an article published on May 29, 2026, in the journal Food Packaging and Shelf Life, Alena Aha from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, and co-authors reported that CPs are commonly present in beeswax wraps used for food packaging.
CP presence and exposure
The researchers analyzed 19 new and seven used beeswax wraps manufactured in different countries, including Germany, China, India, and Thailand, and detected CPs in all samples. Concentrations in new wraps ranged from 0.2 to 15 µg CPs/dm2. In ten samples, levels of short-chain CPs (SCCPs, C10-13, CAS 85535-84-8) exceeded those of medium-chain CPs (MCCPs, C14-C17, CAS 85535-85-9), while MCCP levels were higher in two samples. In the remaining seven samples, SCCP and MCCP concentrations were comparable, with SCCPs accounting for approximately 50 ± 10% of the total CP content. Overall, used beeswax wraps contained CP concentrations similar to those of new wraps, except for two samples with elevated levels of 20 and 260 µg CPs/dm².
Using the mean CP concentration of 3.5 µg/dm2 measured in the wraps, Aha and co-authors estimated the CP transfer from the beeswax wrap to salami using a theoretical model. Depending on the assumptions made, they calculated a daily CP intake of approximately 0.02 to 0.09 µg CPs. According to the researchers, CP exposure from new beeswax wraps would contribute only a small proportion (0.4–2%) of total dietary CP exposure. However, because some used wraps contained up to 34 times higher CP concentrations, exposure from these wraps could reach or even exceed the average daily CP intake from food estimated in previous studies.
Accumulation of CPs
The scientists further performed a test in which wraps were stored for six months in different indoor environments, i.e., stored packaged in a drawer (control), open in a kitchen, or open in a repair shop. While samples stored in the kitchen contained similar CP contents as controls, the SCCP concentration in samples stored in the repair shop was seven times higher. This showed that beeswax wraps can accumulate substantial amounts of CPs from contaminated indoor surroundings during storage.
Methodological approach
To analyze CPs, the researchers developed a new methodological approach where they extracted the chemicals by focused open-vessel microwave-assisted extraction (FOV-MAE). Following a multi-step purification procedure, they applied the samples to gas chromatography with coupled to electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI-MS and GC/ECNI-Orbitrap-HRMS) for the targeted identification and quantification of SCCPs and MCCPs.
In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its risk assessment of CPs in feed and food finding insufficient data to complete robust risk characterization such that a non-health-based guidance value was defined (FPF reported). In 2021, MCCPs were added to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Candidate List for substances of very high concern (SVHCs) (FPF reported) and in May 2025, they were added to Annex A (Elimination) of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The POP Review Committee (POPRC) had considered MCCPs for the first time in its meeting in January 2022 (FPF reported).
Reference
Aha, A. et al. (2026). “Chlorinated paraffins in beeswax wraps – method development and its application to new and used samples.” Food Packaging and Shelf Life. DOI: 10.1016/j.fpsl.2026.101776
