Eating out exposes people to life-threatening chemicals

“I work in an audit firm that drives me crazy! We get in at eight and leave the office after nine o’clock most nights. So, all I see when I open my apartment door is the bed. I would love to, but I never have time to cook. Most times I just rely on takeaways from restaurants. These joints are life-savers, I tell you,” said Mercy Wairimu, a 28-year-old Nairobi-based accountant.

Eating out may appear to be a relatively harmless habit for people like her. But that may not be the case.

New research published in the Environment International journal shows that it may be exposing people’s bodies to high amounts of harmful chemicals known as phthalates.

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. They are found in processing equipment such as food handling gloves, conveyor belts and hoses used in the production of restaurant, cafeteria and fast-food meals.

The chemicals are also present in food packaging material used by most food outlets such as light plastic containers, glasses and cling film wrappers that contain PVC.

High levels of phthalates are suspected to cause cancer and disrupt the normal functioning of body hormones leading to fertility problems, genital defects and sub-optimal mental and behavioural development in children. The chemicals are also associated with obesity, asthma and diabetes.

People are exposed to phthalates by eating and drinking foods that have been in contact with containers and products containing phthalates. 

This is because phthalates do not chemically bind to the plastics they are mixed with. They are thus released from plastic products that contain them over time.

Some phthalates are particularly attracted to fats and foods with high-fat content such as cheese, burgers, fried meat and French fries (chips) wrapped in cling films or plastic containers. The leaching of the chemicals happens rapidly in these ‘fatty’ environments.

The new study, first of its kind, was conducted in the US. It compared phthalate exposure levels among people that dined out frequently in fast-food joints, restaurants and cafeterias as well as those that were more likely to enjoy home-cooked meals over a period of nine years.

The results revealed that people who eat out had phthalate levels that were nearly 35 per cent higher than those who eat home food.

The association between phthalate exposure and dining out was significant for all age groups but the magnitude of association was highest for teenagers.

Adolescents, who were high consumers of fast-food and other food products purchased outside the home, had 55 per cent higher levels of phthalates than those who only consumed food at home.

The researchers also found that sandwiches consumed at fast-food outlets, restaurants or cafeterias were associated with 30 per cent higher phthalate levels in all age groups.

“This study suggests that food prepared at home is less likely to contain high levels of phthalates that are linked to fertility problems, pregnancy complications and other health issues,” said Ami Zota, senior author of the study and assistant professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health based at the George Washington University.

Dr Julia Varshavsky, lead author of the study and postdoctoral scientist at the University of California stated that since pregnant women, children and teens are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals, it is important to find ways of limiting their exposure to phthalates.

“Home-cooked meals may be one way of doing that since as the study suggests, it may not have as many harmful phthalates as a restaurant meal.”

The researchers noted that policy actions are required to control the use of plastics containing the harmful chemicals in the food processing, handling and packaging industry.

At an individual level, consumers can lower their exposure to phthalates by using non-PVC plastic packaging. This is usually indicated on product labels.

They can also do away with plastics and choose instead to have their food packed in tins, jars, glass, and metallic containers.

Cheese, meat and other fatty foods can in wrapped in paper instead of cling films.

Susan Musilu, nutritionist at Bonsana Nutrition and Wellness Centre says when people eat out, they lose control of the foods they consume as it is difficult to tell what ingredients were used to prepare the meal. They thus become vulnerable to potential health hazards.

For instance, recycled oil used to fry foods over and over again so as to minimise costs at restaurants contains harmful chemicals that can increase cancer and heart disease risk.

“It is, therefore, better to just prepare your food at home. Eating out once in a while is okay. But it shouldn’t become a habit.”“It is therefore better to just prepare your food at home. Eating out once in a while is okay. But it shouldn’t become a habit.”