Author: Lindsey Konkel / Source: Science News for Students
Dining out may boost exposure to certain potentially toxic pollutants, a new study finds.
Researchers measured higher levels of these phthalates (THAAL-ayts) in the bodies of people who recently dined out than in those who had been eating only foods that had been cooked at home.Phthalates are found in many products, notably cosmetics, floor tiles and certain types of plastics. These chemicals also are used in food packaging. Many studies over the past few decades have shown phthalates can mimic the action of certain hormones. (Such pollutants are known as endocrine disruptors.) Hormones are important chemicals that help direct the activity of cells throughout the body. The effects of phthalates on hormones may alter how reproductive organs develop in infants and children. These chemicals might even impact the timing of puberty, animal studies have shown. That’s why environmental scientists recommend limiting exposures to phthalates.
Yet doing that isn’t easy. Why? Phthalates are everywhere — in the air, water and soils. They are the most common industrial pollutant in the environment. People inhale and ingest tiny quantities every day. These pollutants can even enter the body through the skin.
Ami Zota is an environmental health scientist at George Washington University in Washington, D.
C. She studies how pollutants can affect health. And her team knew that food packaging can be a notable source of exposure to some phthalates.“We all know that certain foods are more nutritious than others. But there are other ways that food choices can affect health,” says Zota — and in a potentially negative way. That’s why her team wanted to look for any trends between where people get their food and the amounts of phthalates in their bodies. Such information could be important, she says, in guiding the behaviors of people who want to limit their exposure to phthalates.
To find out where people were eating, the researchers tapped into results from a large national survey. Known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, it included data collected between 2005 and 2014 from more than 10,000 U.S. children, teens and adults. It asked each person what they had eaten in the past 24 hours. Each participant also provided a…
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