According to reporting from Environmental Health News, researchers believe that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval process has not kept pace with scientific findings on chemical hazards in plastics. While the FDA has approved hundreds of recycled plastic applications, the process is voluntary and relies heavily on manufacturers’ own testing data. The article, published on August 19, 2024, quotes researchers arguing that this approach is inadequate.
The FDA does not always require companies to submit safety data, and testing focuses on pathogen contamination rather than chemical risks, EHN says.
Plastics are complex materials that require the introduction of even more additives during the recycling process which increases the potential chemical exposure from migration (FPF reported). According to EHN, studies show that recycled plastics, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), often contain a higher number of volatile chemicals compared to virgin plastics. The article quotes Food Packaging Forum scientist Birgit Geueke, saying that other types of plastics, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), are even more prone to absorbing harmful substances during their lifecycle and are harder to decontaminate (FPF reported).
The chemicals measured in recycled plastics, such as bisphenols and phthalates, have been linked to various health issues, including hormone disruption, cancer, and developmental problems (FPF reported and here).
The FDA’s safety guidelines are criticized for being outdated, focusing mainly on individual chemical thresholds and ignoring the cumulative effects of chemical mixtures. These mixtures may have significant health impacts, as shown by a European study on children’s IQ. Members from the Food Packaging Forum’s Scientific Advisory Board Thomas Zoeller and Maricel Maffini argue in the article that the FDA’s approach is mostly insufficient.
Surrogate testing, a method recommended by the FDA to evaluate chemical migration from recycled plastics, is praised as effective for PET but less so for other plastics like polypropylene (PP) and HDPE. While surrogate testing can be an effective method for evaluating chemical migration, it is not mandatory, raising concerns about the thoroughness of safety assessments. As stated by the article, experts caution that without stricter oversight, recycled plastics may not be safe for food contact, particularly non-PET plastics that easily absorb contaminants.
Reference
Meg Wilcox (August 19, 2024). “Is recycled plastic safe for food contact? If the company making it says so, according to the FDA.” Environmental Health News
