Are Toxins In Food Coming From Its Packaging?

colorful hygienic and nicely packaged supermarket food is similar wherever you look in the world from Shanghai to Berlin and Paris the same products are shipped around the world and made to last as long as possible for consumers it's very practical but food scientists are sounding the alarm bells the packaging often contains dangerous toxins which can enter the food chain and only a few of them are known to us I estimate that in total various types of packaging contain about 100,000 substances in a concentration that could all be relevant is food packaging a danger for our health like most europeans stephanie block goes shopping about three times a week the french mother of two works a full-time job and therefore has to organize her time carefully in this supermarket she knows she can find everything she needs in one place it saves time and it's convenient and that's also the reason why she chooses products with a long use by date what she doesn't know is that colorful and convenient packaging poses a health risk many jars cartons and plastic wrappers contain harmful toxins that can seep into the food it is meant to protect only few of these toxins are known to us and only few have been tested for their possible effects on human health an expert for so-called migrating toxins is dr. Marika kalasa a toxicologist for the federal environmental agency whose specialist areas are they lates they are most commonly used in industry to make plastic packaging soft flexible and durable these softeners are a serious health risk they have not only been found in packaging but also in children's toys and subsequently in children the federal environmental agency was alarmed by the results of a study conducted with some 2,000 children to find out where the phthalates come from various foods were also tested for softeners we measured increased talat levels in pesto and Asian sauces and also in rolls that are eaten with chocolate hazelnut spreads we also found elevated levels of gummy bears and other gelatin based candy we even found toilets in milk including organic milk so we suspect it got in there via the packaging sm4 pogrom divine decree it'sand so how do they affect the body towelettes work like hormones they can disrupt the hormonal functions of the body to find out more about what this means we travel to Denmark scientists at Copenhagen's university clinic have been studying the effects of softness on the human body for 20 years the Anne geologist dr. Jurgen tsin has proven that fail aids work much like female hormones which leads to a significant hormonal imbalance primarily in men the scientists began their research after they started to notice a significant rise in infertility among male patients as part of an independent survey the analysis of more than 10,000 sperm samples showed some shocking results almost half of the men in the study had such poor quality sperm that they were infertile the number of infertile men in Europe is on the rise thank you a typical phenomenon is that of sperm swimming around in circles thereby missing its target scientists believe the men were born infertile some of the phthalates and other things the pregnant woman get it into her body and while she is in her body it goes to her fetus the unborn child and it impairs the development of the testicles so they do not develop properly and if that happens then we see the fact that there are too few of the very very early GM cells and the supporting cells are developed and that leads to a reduced sperm number phthalates are particularly dangerous for young women of childbearing age and small children Stephanie wants her son's to eat healthy she rarely gives them candy but when she does she has no way of knowing whether the packaging is safe or not on this packet it just says the packaging is environmentally sustainable it doesn't say anything else kids love chocolate hazelnut spreads but the German environmental agency has found high levels of de HP in some of them de HP is considered the most dangerous phthalates Ferrero the makers of Nutella also found softeners in their product but the company insists that the levels are perfectly safe one would have to eat a lot of Nutella for the phthalates to have a health impact but scientists agree de HP can cause infertility that's why the EU has banned it in toys why this toxin hasn't been banned in packaging is a mystery a study by the federal environmental agency shows that many children have traces of this particularly dangerous softener in their body the study involved 600 children every one of which had traces of softeners in their urine as a man will see they must be banned because in all children tested in Germany we found metabolites of five important islets this means they've become ubiquitous in children and 20% of children had individual toilets in their bodies in concentrations which we believe to be toxic illogically dangerous is equal if you consider that a number of toilets can have a cumulative effect that it's possible that up to 80 percent of children have more toilets in them than toxicologists would say is harmless we are basically all affected by phthalates the European Parliament has been slow to introduce the necessary bans but as lawmakers lack the expertise a special agency has been created it's called the European chemicals agency EC H a it regulates the approval and limitation of chemicals within the EU so-called reach lists have been created questionable substances like de H P are registered on that list the goal is to make de hp disappear from the market across Europe by October 2012 but for such individual bands to be effective the chemicals industry must step up to the challenge of developing safe alternatives so far the results have been lacking the EU Environment Commission is concerned we have a number of priorities this year environmental infringement in general but also chemicals in particular we're not happy at the moment with the number of chemicals which have been tested on which are in the annexes and that needs to be looked at seriously the companies have now been forced to test new chemicals at their own expense only after testing will they be approved for the European market this is complicated and expensive and that's why there are only few applications to register new products so it's quite low at the moment we have to make sure which does the things that it was intended to do things in the EU do take a long time you can't argue against that it's always when you've got 27 member states and you've got a European Parliament you've got the European Commission it's complicated it can be bureaucratic it can be technocratic it's a complicated issue you've got lots of different national administrations national legislation different cultures you have the industry lobby the world's biggest chemicals company BASF has banned the production of de HP in Europe years ago according to the company there is little demand for such a chemical in Europe it's a different story though in Asia where BASF continues to produce the controversial softener which remains the most widespread softener on the asian market much of our packaging is produced in China and therefore also most the ehp Chinese company also produced the softener in large amounts the haengju nature organic chemicals company is one example the company mainly makes their leads what looks so clean here can be very dangerous to human health this chemical is so dangerous that the Chinese authorities have banned its use in animal feed and food production the company sells 90% of its products in China its customers are companies that primarily export their goods to Europe this company that makes plastic wrap for example soft see-through and hygienic softeners are just one of many migrating toxins hiding in the shelves of our supermarkets plastic wrapping can also contain bisphenol A known as BPA it makes the packaging durable and protects the food from oxidation it is suspected of causing heart disease and metabolic disease and of damaging the brain particularly high levels of BPA can be released from packaging into food when both are heated in a microwave my older son is fine he has allergies and I ask myself whether it could come from toxins and packaging the baby bottles I used to feed him with were found to contain BPA we even warmed them up in the microwave he was exposed to it all the time we have to wait and see how he turns out now consumers only find out about the dangers when it's too late in May 2010 France banned the use of BPA in baby bottles but that's no use to stephanie's oldest son and BPA continues to seep into many foods not just baby food every day we put things in our mouths that are made of plastic what can consumers do well yeah of course I've changed my behavior I don't heat things up in the microwave anymore I use a kettle instead a peer now they make bottles and pacifiers that are free of bisphenol but can you really trust them we just follow the trend it's also a question of what's fashionable Shinoda camel Denmark is the only country in Europe to have banned BPA in all children's food packaging the rest of Europe is still discussing the possible health risks of BPA dr. Eric Udo and dr. jean-pierre kravid II of the European Institute for food safety INRA in Toulouse are already convinced that BPA is dangerous they found out through animal tests that the chemical can enter our organs and prevent the growth of immune cells our immune system becomes vulnerable the chemicals also enter our body through our skin in their tests the scientists compared mice exposed to BPA with others that live in a bpa-free environment the result was that BPA mice were most susceptible to germs animals were most at risk when exposed to the chemicals in the womb the substance reaches the fetus and blocks its development of immune cells this can even result in a genetic change tests with human cells have confirmed the research findings Serie B sphenoid bloc Tortola port this is a shot on the inner skin of our organs there are cells that ensure that germs do not reach our organs BPA hemes the growth of such cells in embryos their organs are unable to differentiate between safe and dangerous bacteria the entire warning system collapses and our body can fall victim to germs the immune system is unable to develop beyond that of a newborn default this means our body is no longer able to protect us from dangerous bacteria and illnesses scientists know this but the long-term effects of a prolonged intake of BPA are yet unknown the only the lifespan of an animal isn't long enough for us to learn how devastating the effects of bisphenol A might be on humans in the long term we are exposed to such substances throughout our life whereas the test animals are only exposed a few weeks or months for scientists it's clear BPA can cause lasting damage to our immune system migrating toxins can be anywhere for example in canned food scientists examined various foods to see how much bisphenol A is in them bisphenol is in the white wax layer that coats the inside of the aluminium cans it is used to keep them airtight most foods are sterilized by heating them up before they are can potty je le mo Duru oxidation the metal a preschooler li mo when the hot food touches the plastic coating of the can the highest levels of bisphenol are released into the food like in the case of this can of corn you may easily Hospital said what the concern with every spoon of canned sweet corn we are eating bisphenol it should be a clear-cut case for the authorities the French Agency for Food Safety and consumer protection has been tasked to find out if European consumers need to be protected from BPA professor Marie Favreau believes they don't is it - we only accept the studies from toxicologists who conduct very careful research using internationally recognized methods the few studies that have been conducted in accordance with these principles have found no evidence of a link between BPA and health problems let me be clear at present according to strict scientific studies there is no evidence to support the claim that BPA is harmful to human health we scientists whether we're here in France or in the US we published all our studies in international journals every one of us is an expert in his or her area we systematically tested different animal groups scrolling up with and without BPA the differences were sufficient to prove that BPA is a health hazard what more do we need cooking do proofs but who is responsible for the fact that independent state subsidized surveys are not recognized they are analyzed and assessed by the national and European authorities at the same time the European institutions make the decisions and so do the national ministries still existed but we want to know who exactly has the final say turn off the camera no turn it off Frantz of all nations having put so much money into researching the risks of BPA is also the country that is blocking an EU ban how is this possible chemicals giants like fire also don't see a risk via refers us to the lobby group plastics Europe industry itself has commissioned 14 separate studies the result each time BPA poses no risk they contradict no less than a hundred and fifty three publicly financed studies which concluded that there is a health risk the EU quite clearly prefers to put its trust in industry bisphenol A continues to be legal in Europe most plastic packaging is made in China EU regulations don't apply here of course and clearly production costs are so low here but it is even profitable to import disposable packaging to Europe all the way from China presentation is everything nobody cares what ingredients the plastic packaging may contain it is impossible to test all products for BPA's manufacturers are not legally required to name the chemicals they use all this is carried out without regard for consumers the BPA toxin is hidden in hard plastic packaging and disposable cutlery but these are not the only controversial migrating toxins lingering in packaging there are many more scientists have not yet examined all of them it's also unknown which cumulative effect they may have but one thing is clear already a lot of our modern packaging contains a cocktail of chemicals that could carry high risks Stephanie block is looking for alternative foods for her children she buys more and more organic products they two are now common in most supermarkets and their packaging often resembles conventional products not with organic products I have just as much packaging to throw away plastic cardboard there's a lot of waste I think that's a shame I would like to be able to buy organic products at a reasonable price but even these fruits are fully wrapped in plastic and cardboard everything is wrapped I don't like it at all but Stephanie's young family has no real choice she doesn't have the time to prepare everything fresh and so she ends up making this organic rice which is packaged like every other in a plastic bag manufacturers don't seem bothered that dangerous toxins from the plastic may be seeping into the rice it's prepared quickly and the children like it all that remains are the foils hard plastic and cardboard a lot of it can be recycled and turned into new food packaging some 600 tons of paper collected at this recycling point everyday color printed paper cigarette packets lots of things that should never come in contact with food it would take a lot of chemicals to get the printing colors out of the paper but that would be much too expensive and so the traces of color remain inside the paper Switzerland is the first country to address the problem here in Surrey scientists are analyzing the ingredients of the recycled cardboard every day they buy supermarket foods to check the packaging for harmful chemicals the food chemist dr. Conrad Korb is an expert for cardboard packaging he has found that recycled cardboard bears a particularly high risk of being contaminated with toxic chemicals that can enter the food see rice and and carton you rip open the carton tearing it diagonally like this so that you can see the inside you see this white layer and under it gray that's the recycled material and in this case even the back of the carton is made of recycled material I'm his problem since carton for popcorn the synth I probably noggin dick designer is cardboard packaging bears to possible risks first there's the print colour on the carton and then there's the old print color from the recycled carton which is of course still present in the new packaging newspaper print for example consists of several parts per million of mineral oil and this ends up in the recycled packaging and from there it can potentially end up in the food so far packaging can only be tested for its mineral oil content in Switzerland it's a complicated test but the only way to keep a check on industry for a soul for me that Allah will keep without it toxic there is a toxicological evaluation for such mineral oils which is some twenty years old and what we've noticed is that the toxin levels which we consider to be safe are often exceeded tenfold and sometimes even one hundredfold in such cases it's our job to warn people because it's unacceptable recycled packaging often contains mineral oil that consumers can end up absorbing the problem is that the printing colors can even contain phthalates experts estimate that these colors can contain at least six thousand different substances an alarming figure for the swiss consumer protection agency and reason enough to act the agency now carries out regular checks and since January 2010 Switzerland has stricter regulations concerning food packaging than the EU leaders white sisters via t book Switzerland is unique in regulating the use of printing colors in food packaging there are lists of substances which are allowed because they are considered safe and of substances which are controversial and need further testing toxic printing colors abandoned Switzerland so has food packaging actually becomes safer there Europe's biggest packaging manufacturer my Ameland off tells us in a written statement quote our products fulfil the guidelines of all the countries they are made for and we only use approved printing colors unfortunately consumers cannot check this as nobody writes on the packaging which kind of print was used to make it a seasonal duty council obviously companies are competing for attention with their packaging so they use plenty of printing color and gloss sealant we also analyzed other components and found that the most eye-catching packaging is often the most contaminated of course it's a paradox that what consumers are most attracted to should be the most harmful for them get out of immediately everywhere in the world supermarket customers are paying a premium for nicely packaged food but nobody knows how high the cost is to their health so far the EU is unable to protect its consumers a van on toxic softeners bisphenol A and the toxic printing colours is overdue but that's not likely to happen anytime soon

Channel: Journeyman Pictures

Views: 23,288

Rating: 4.8461537 out of 5

Keywords: journeyman pictures, news, current affairs, world news, documentary, food, health risks, toxins, packaging, the European Union, toxic substances, printing colours, food scientists, supermarket chains, hormonal imbalances, infertility

Id: 2_q-2hPwYHo

Length: 28min 8sec (1688 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 02 2016