Researchers found over 3,600 food contact chemicals present in humans, including 80 with hazard properties of “high concern."

A new review systematically examined human exposure to food contact chemicals (FCCs), which migrate from materials used to store, process, and package food.  Researchers aimed to address gaps in understanding the extent of FCC exposure in humans by reviewing biomonitoring studies.

The researchers compared over 14,000 known FCCs with 5 biomonitoring programs and 3 metabolome/exposome databases. They identified 3,601 FCCs with evidence of human exposure, including 194 detected through biomonitoring programs. Among them, 80 FCCs had properties that warrant further investigation for potential health concerns, such as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxicity. Additionally, 59 FCCs identified in humans lack hazard data. Most of these chemicals were listed in the Blood Exposome Database.

The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, also prioritized 175 FCCs based on frequent detection in food contact materials, finding 63 within human samples. The researchers describe these findings as indicating “significant data gaps” for many FCCs.

An interactive dashboard, FCChumon, was created to aid policymakers, public health professionals, and the food industry in identifying hazardous FCCs, reducing human exposure, and improving the safety of food contact materials.

Researchers outlined several limitations, such as variability among data sources, with biomonitoring programs deemed more reliable than metabolome/exposome databases, which often use automated data collection. Identifying certain FCCs, especially complex chemical mixtures, was difficult due to incomplete chemical identifiers. The study did not systematically predict potential metabolites, which may affect the comprehensiveness of exposure assessment. Some chemical groups, like oligomers, are under-researched due to the challenges in their analysis and the lack of standardized methods. 

There are also significant gaps in hazard data for many FCCs, including per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, and the limited scope of the systematic literature search emphasized the need for more comprehensive research.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.