Toxic Food Packaging

 Chemicals, called 6:2 FTOH,  linked to a range of serious health issues such as kidney disease, liver damage, cancer, neurological damage, developmental problems and autoimmune disorders,  are still being used in greaseproof pizza boxes, carryout containers, fast-food wrappers, and paperboard packaging. Chemical giants DuPont and Daikin knew the dangers of the PFAS compound  in food packaging since 2010, but hid them from the public and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

The companies told the FDA that the compounds were safer and less likely to accumulate in humans than older types of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” and submitted internal studies to support that claim.

But Daikin withheld a 2009 study that indicated toxicity to lab rats’ livers and kidneys, while DuPont in 2012 did not alert the FDA or public to new internal data that indicated that the chemical stays in animals’ bodies for much longer than initially thought.  

Had the FDA seen the data, it is unlikely that it would have approved 6:2 FTOH, said Maricel Maffini, an independent researcher who studies PFAS in food packaging. 

Although Daikin may have broken the law, it and DuPont, which has previously been caught hiding studies that suggest toxicity in PFAS, are not facing any repercussions.

"...oversight is lax,” Maffini said.

Chemical giants hid dangers of ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging | Pollution | The Guardian