R. Thomas Zoeller Discusses Chemical Risks in Recycled Plastics

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As the demand for sustainable packaging grows, more food manufacturers are incorporating recycled content to reduce their reliance on virgin plastic. While this shift is a positive step for the environment, experts warn that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not updated its approval process for plastic food packaging to reflect the latest research on chemical risks in plastics. The news site Civil Eats asked R. Thomas Zoeller, an emeritus professor from the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Biology, to weigh in on this balance between environmental sustainability and health:

"'The FDA has been very reluctant to adopt a modern perspective,' [said] Tom Zoeller, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst...referring to testing for the effects of endocrine disruptors or for the mixtures of chemicals found in plastics. FDA’s requirement that a chemical not exceed a threshold of 0.5 parts per billion is based on cancer risk, Zoeller said, and while that number is protective for evaluating exposure to a single chemical, 'I’m not sure that means a lot, when you consider the 16,000 chemicals that are put in plastic.'"

— Civil Eats

CNN confirms Zoeller's estimate: 

"For the first time, researchers have pulled together scientific and regulatory data to develop a database of all known chemicals used in plastic production. It’s a staggering number: 16,000 plastic chemicals, with at least 4,200 of those considered to be 'highly hazardous' to human health and the environment, according to the authors."

— CNN

Click here to read the full article in Civil Eats.