Database
FCChumon database
A systematic evidence map to explore food contact chemicals measured in humans
About FCChumon
Humans are exposed to food contact chemicals (FCCs) that migrate from food packaging and other food contact article into the food. Studies show that over 4000 FCCs have been measured in migrates or extracts of food contact materials (FCMs), and more than 12,000 chemicals have been reported globally to be intentionally used across all types of FCMs. However, no previous research has provided an overview of which of these FCCs have been found in humans.
In response, the Database on Food Contact Chemicals Monitored in Humans (FCChumon) offers a systematic overview of FCCs that have been monitored and detected in human samples, such as urine, blood, and breast milk. To achieve this, researchers from the Food Packaging Forum first compared all known FCCs to date to five biomonitoring programs and three metabolome/exposome databases. In a second step, they prioritized the FCCs not included in any of these sources but with evidence for presence in FCMs (according to the FCCmigex database). A separate search of the published scientific literature was then conducted to find human biomonitoring studies on the prioritized FCCs. A previously published protocol provides detailed information about the compilation of the database.
Key findings
For 3601 (or 25%) of the total FCCs, evidence indicates their presence in humans. 194 FCCs have been detected via human biomonitoring programs, and many of these have hazard properties of concern (step 1A). 3,528 FCCs were identified in the metabolome/exposome databases, of which the Blood Exposome Database contributed most (step 1B). 63 of the 175 prioritized FCCs were monitored in humans (step 2), and 59 of the prioritized FCCs had no data available to describe their potential hazards. A peer-reviewed, open-access article in the scientific Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology provides many more facts on FCCs with evidence for presence in humans, and there is much more data available in the interactive FCChumon dashboard that can be uncovered by everyone.
Implications
The presence of an FCC in humans does not indicate that FCMs are the only exposure source, as FCCs are often used in many different products. However, our research helps to highlight FCCs that are commonly found in migrates of FCMs and in humans to better understand the contribution of food packaging to overall human exposure to chemicals. Additionally, it allows to identify FCCs that are often found in FCM migrates but have never been looked at in human samples. Therefore, the FCChumon supports policymakers, public health researchers, and decision makers in the food industry and civil society to improve the safety of food contact materials and reduce human exposure to hazardous FCCs.
An interactive dashboard
The available evidence for human exposure to FCCs can be found in the interactive FCChumon dashboard. This free resource links to the biomonitoring programs, databases, and scientific studies in which FCCs have been measured and detected. It also provides information on whether an FCC is listed in the FCCdb and the FCCmigex database.
Background
Food packaging and other food contact articles, such as processing equipment and kitchen utensils, can release chemicals into food. This process of chemical migration causes chronic human exposure to chemicals and can lead to adverse health effects. Until now, human exposure assessment for food contact chemicals (FCCs) has primarily focused on a few dozen chemicals of concern, such as bisphenols, PFAS, phthalates, mineral oil hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. However, thousands of FCCs are intentionally added during the manufacture of food contact materials and articles, and even more FCCs may be present in the final articles. This justifies the importance of better understanding their hazards, use in products, and exposure to people. This is where the FCChumon database plays a role. It is a product of the ongoing Food Contact Chemicals and Human Health (FCCH) Project led by the Food Packaging Forum.
Search the FCChumon database
The freely available, interactive dashboard below allows you to explore the FCChumon database in an easily accessible and searchable way.
Getting started: The tool can be expanded into full-screen mode by clicking the double sided arrow in the bottom right corner. Check out the video on the right for a quick introduction on how to search within the tool and find the data you are most interested in.
Frequently Asked Questions
The interactive tool above allows you to search and filter the data on food contact chemicals (FCCs) that have been measured in humans. The list of known FCCs was developed using data of two earlier FPF projects: the food contact chemicals database (FCCdb) and the database on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals (FCCmigex).
There are two steps within the FCChumon study and reflected in the tool. (Step 1) Identifying the FCCs that have been monitored and detected in five biomonitoring programs and three metabolome/exposome databases; and (Step 2) identifying FCCs that have been found in food contact materials according to FCCmigex (n>= 5) but were not included in any of these biomonitoring programs and databases. For these FCCs, we systematically screened the scientific literature to identify any available evidence for their presence in humans.
The default view is a basic table containing: (i) all known FCCs with CAS numbers, (ii) the results from the comparisons with human biomonitoring studies, databases, or the literature search, and (iii) the FPF use (FCCdb) and migration/extraction (FCCmigex) databases where the chemicals were found.
The filter panel on the left allows users to see results for specific chemicals by searching for CAS number, by name, or for a subset of chemicals according to their presence in various projects.
Here are a few examples of possible questions that are answered by selecting the appropriate filters in the tool:
- How many and which food contact chemicals have been detected in a specific biomonitoring program?
- How many and which food contact chemicals have been monitored in humans but are not listed for intentional use (presence in the FCCdb)?
- Which food contact chemicals have been most detected in humans?
The original references/sources for data contained in the dashboard are visible via the reference view. It appears after clicking the book icon next to the “Step 2” table heading, or the “>” symbol in the bottom of the frame. This field shows you which published studies are the source of the data in step 2. The reference view responds to the same search and selection criteria as in the data view, though by default only the chemicals from step 2 will include references.
Example questions you can answer in the reference view are:
- In which studies has a specific food contact chemical been measured?
- When have studies on a specific chemical been published?
- What sort of human sample was included in the study?
The DOI or another URL is included for most references to quickly link to the underlying source. Currently, the complete or filtered reference lists cannot be exported.
If the biomonitoring programs stated that the analyte was a metabolite of a specific parent compound, we paired the metabolite and the parent compound for comparison with the known FCCs. In this way, we ensured that FCCs in the biomonitoring programs were identified regardless of whether detection in human samples was reported for parent compounds or metabolites.
Sometimes a study will search for a specific chemical in human samples or in food contact articles but does not find it. In this case, the chemical was monitored but it was not detected.
FCCdb and FCCmigex are living databases that occasionally get updated. As such, absolute numbers may change when we update the data comparisons. In the future, we may also make small edits to the underlying data of the interactive tool or any of the related databases to improve consistency, which might also lead to minor changes in absolute numbers.
It is easiest and most reliable to search for the exact CAS number of the food contact chemical you are interested in. Many chemicals have synonyms that may not be found in the FCChumon database when searching just by the chemical name. Please be aware, that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are listed under the name and CAS number of the free acid, not the salt(s).
If you cannot find a chemical in the database for which you have evidence that it has been measured in humans, please let us know. Currently, the FCChumon database includes studies published until late February 2023. For more information on how the literature was searched and screened, see the published <journal article>.
No, the FCChumon database does not include any information on the concentrations of FCCs or FCC metabolites that were measured in humans. Nor does it include the frequency of detection. A chemical was marked as “detected” if it was found in a part of the investigated population. However, the reference view of the interactive dashboard allows you to find the original scientific references for all database entries where you can extract this information.
In all works that reference the FCChumon database, please cite both the __Journal___ journal article as well as this website:
Geueke B; Lindsey V. Parkinson, Ksenia J. Groh, Christopher D. Kassotis, Maricel V. Maffini, Olwenn V. Martin, Lisa Zimmermann, Martin Scheringer, and Muncke J (2024) “Food contact chemicals: Evidence for presence in humans.” ____journal____, DOI: ____doi___
Food Packaging Forum Foundation (2024) “FCChumon Database.” https://www.foodpackagingforum.org/fcchumon
We aim to update the database periodically in the future, however exact timelines are not yet finalized. Accurate curation of systematic datasets require significant time and resources. FCChumon was first published in ___ 2024. We will announce when new data are included in the FCChumon database on both this website and via our newsletter.
For additional questions not answered here or in the journal article, please send us an email: info@fp-forum.org. We will respond to you as soon as we are able.
For suggestions, we appreciate constructive feedback to help us improve the database and tool. Please fill out this short survey to share your thoughts with us.
Publications
Evidence for widespread human exposure to food contact chemicals
Geueke B., Parkinson, L.V., Groh K. J., Kassotis C. D., Maffini M. V., Martin O. V., Zimmermann L., Scheringer, M., and Muncke J.
2024, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00718-2
Protocol for assessing the evidence of food contact chemicals monitored in humans (2.0).
Geueke B., Parkinson L. V., Dolenc J., Groh K. J., Kassotis C. D., Maffini M. V., Martin O. V., Zimmermann L., and Muncke J.
2023, Zenodo; DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7857837
Systematic evidence on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals: most chemicals detected in food contact materials are not listed for use
Geueke B., Groh K.J., Maffini M.V., Martin O.V., Boucher J.M., Chiang Y.T., Gwosdz F., Jieh P., Kassotis C.D., Lanska P., Myers J.P., Odermatt A., Parkinson L.V., Schreier V.N., Srebny V., Zimmermann L., Scheringer M., and Muncke J.
2022, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition; DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2067828
Overview of intentionally used food contact chemicals and their hazards
Groh K.J., Geueke B., Martin O.V., Maffini M.V., and Muncke J.
2020, Environment International; DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106225
A vision for safer food contact materials: Public health concerns as drivers for improved testing
Muncke J., Andersson A.M., Backhaus T., Belcher S.M., Boucher J.M., Almroth B.C., Collins T.J., Geueke B., Groh K.J., Heindel J.J., von Hippel F.A., Legler J., Maffini M.V., Martin O.V., Myers J.P., Nadal A., Nerin C., Soto A.M., Trasande L., Vandenberg L.N., Wagner M., Zimmermann L., Zoeller R.T., Scheringer M.
2023, Environment Journal; DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108161
Funding
This work was carried out as part of the FCCH project, which is funded by project-related funds from Adessium Foundation, MAVA Foundation, Stiftung Minerva, Sympany Stiftung, and the Food Packaging Forum’s own resources from unrestricted donations.
All FPF funding sources are listed here.
Disclaimer
The consumer of these data (“Data User” herein) has an ethical obligation to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or coauthorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available “as is.” The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.
(Adapted from the LTER Network data access policy.)
