April 25, 2024
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1042141(Eurekalert) Plastic is a very complex material that can contain many different chemicals, some of which can be harmful. This is also true for plastic food packaging.
“We found as many as 9936 different chemicals in a single plastic product used as food packaging,” said Martin Wagner, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Biology.
Wagner has been working with chemicals in plastic products for several years. He is part of a research group at NTNU that has now published its findings in the Environmental Science & Technology journal. PhD candidates Molly McPartland and Sarah Stevens from NTNU are the lead authors of both studies.
Interfering with hormones and metabolism
In one study, the researchers looked at 36 different plastic products that are used to package food. These products came from five countries; the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany and Norway.
“In most of these plastic products, we found chemicals that can affect the secretion of hormones and metabolism,” Wagner said.
