Researchers identified 189 substances considered potential mammary carcinogens present in food contact materials (FCMs), with 76 detected in migration studies published between 2020 and 2022.

Utilizing the Key Characteristics of Toxicants framework, researchers compared known food contact chemicals (FCCs) to substances linked to breast cancer and found that 21% of these potential carcinogens were measurable in FCMs.

Despite existing U.S. and E.U. regulations aimed at limiting carcinogenic substances in FCMs, the findings, published in Frontiers in Toxicology, indicate that the measures may not fully prevent exposure. 

Among the 76 potential mammary carcinogens identified in recent migration studies, 40 have been classified with some regulatory warning, such as inclusion under the E.U.’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals or California’s Proposition 65. Substances like styrene, which has evidence of mammary carcinogenicity, have been detected globally in FCMs, even with targeted regulations.

"A balance between protecting public health and the environment, and maintaining technological and economic viability, will need to be found," noted the researchers.

Challenges in identifying all NIAS were highlighted, as testing for individual compounds remains impractical. Current assessments rely on extraction and migration experiments, but a lack of standardized analytical methods and robust exposure estimates present further challenges. 

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.