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Fast food is bad news. New research has shown that many fast food items in the US contain hormone-disrupting chemical found in plastic.
It is not only bad for your health, but also for you at a molecular level.
According to a paper about the study, researchers found that fast food meals often contained chemicals called phthalates. These chemicals are used to give plastics more flexibility. They can also disrupt the natural hormone production of animals and humans.
Gizmodo reports that studies have shown that children who are exposed to a lot of EDCs can develop health issues like obesity and asthma. It can also lead to fertility problems later in life.
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Lariah Edwards (postdoctoral scientist at George Washington) and lead author of the study, said that phthalates and other plasticizers were common in prepared food at US fast-food chains. This means that many Americans are eating a lot of potentially harmful chemicals.
According to the paper, 64 samples of food were collected by the researchers for their research. These included hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets. They also sampled chicken burritos, chicken burritos and cheese pizza. The authors even tried food handling gloves from six restaurants.
Gizmodo reports that the team tested the samples for 11 chemicals. They found that 81% of the food contained phthalate di n-butylphthalate (DnBP) and that 89 percent contained another non-phthalate plasticiser.
The study revealed that cheese pizza was the most chemically-dense.
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According to the team, phthalate contamination could be caused by contact with plastic packaging and gloves. While researchers still dont know the full impact of eating plasticizer-contaminated food, its likely a safe bet that they can cause or exacerbate health or even reproductive issues.
Edwards stated to Gizmodo that stronger regulations are necessary in order to keep harmful chemicals from the food supply.
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