Phthalate and novel plasticizer concentrations in food items from U.S. fast food chains: a preliminary analysis

Authors

Lariah Edwards, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Nathan L. McCray, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Brianna N. VanNoy, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Alice Yau, Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Ruth J. Geller, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Gary Adamkiewicz, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Ami R. Zota, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA. azota@gwu.edu.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

5-1-2022

Journal

Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology

Volume

32

Issue

3

DOI

10.1038/s41370-021-00392-8

Keywords

Dietary exposures; Fast food; Food handling gloves; Health disparities; Phthalates; Plasticizers

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fast food consumption is associated with biomarkers of ortho-phthalates exposures. However, the chemical content of fast food is unknown; certain ortho-phthalates (i.e., di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) have been phased out and replaced with other plasticizers (e.g., dioctyl terephthalate (DEHT)). OBJECTIVE: We conducted a preliminary study to examine ortho-phthalate and replacement plasticizer concentrations in foods and food handling gloves from U.S. fast food restaurants. METHODS: We obtained hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, chicken burritos, cheese pizza (n = 64 food samples) and gloves (n = 3) from restaurants and analyzed them for 11 chemicals using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. RESULTS: We found DEHT at the highest concentrations in both foods (n = 19; median = 2510 µg/kg; max = 12,400 µg/kg) and gloves (n = 3; range: 28-37% by weight). We detected DnBP and DEHP in 81% and 70% of food samples, respectively. Median DEHT concentrations were significantly higher in burritos than hamburgers (6000 µg/kg vs. 2200 µg/kg; p < 0.0001); DEHT was not detected in fries. Cheese pizza had the lowest levels of most chemicals. SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, these are the first measurements of DEHT in food. Our preliminary findings suggest that ortho-phthalates remain ubiquitous and replacement plasticizers may be abundant in fast food meals. IMPACT STATEMENT: A selection of popular fast food items sampled in this study contain detectable levels of replacement plasticizers and concerning ortho-phthalates. In addition, food handling gloves contain replacement plasticizers, which may be a source of food contamination. These results, if confirmed, may inform individual and regulatory exposure reduction strategies.

APA Citation

Edwards, Lariah; McCray, Nathan L.; VanNoy, Brianna N.; Yau, Alice; Geller, Ruth J.; Adamkiewicz, Gary; and Zota, Ami R., "Phthalate and novel plasticizer concentrations in food items from U.S. fast food chains: a preliminary analysis" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 1033.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/1033

Department

Environmental and Occupational Health