Fast food wrappers are source of toxic chemicals in humans

It’s not just the junk in fast food that is bad for you – you are also eating the dangerous chemicals that are lining the wrappers, too.
PAPs (polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters), which are used as a non-sticking and greaseproof agent on the inside of fast food wrappers, are making their way into the contents. Once eaten, they metabolise as PFCAs (perfluorinated carboxylic acids), a dangerous chemical that can cause cancer.
Scientists at the University of Toronto say that fast-food wrappers could be a major – and unsuspected – source of the chemical. They discovered high concentrations of the chemical in wrappers of popular fast foods and microwave popcorn.
Up to now, scientists had assumed that high concentrations of PFCAs in humans came exclusively from the immediate environment. They are used in non-stick and water- and stain-repellent products, ranging from kitchen pans to clothing – and in fast food wrappers.
(Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, 2010; doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002409).

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