In an article published on October 19, 2015 the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals informs about recently conducted tests with pizza boxes revealing that they contain fluorocarbons and other chemicals of concern (COCs). Three different, randomly selected brands of pizza boxes were tested and all three contained fluorocarbons in amounts exceeding the guiding limit value set in August 2015 by the Danish Minister of the Environment and Food (FPF reported). Besides fluorocarbons, also mineral oils, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7), and nonylphenol were detected in the pizza boxes. These chemicals are known or suspected to be endocrine disruptors or cancer-causing. It is assumed that fluorocarbons and other COCs found in pizza boxes originate from recycled material. In the scope of these tests, the pizza boxes were analyzed only for content of COCs. Migration of COCs from the pizza boxes into food was not tested.
Given the health concerns over the detected substances, the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals is of the opinion that consumers should not be exposed to these chemicals. In addition to possible exposure via food packaging, “consumers are exposed to these chemicals from many different sources throughout their everyday lives. The amassed exposure can be problematic in regards to endocrine disrupting effects and we believe it is not too much to ask that these substances should not be in food packaging,” says Stine Müller, project manager at the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals.
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Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals (October 19, 2015). “Test: Unwanted chemicals found in pizza boxes.”
