Plastic food packaging contains thousands of hormone-mimicking chemicals: Study

(The Hill) — Plastic food packaging contains chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system — and that can leach into food, a new study has found.

Once there, these chemicals can mimic — or disrupt — the effects of the hormones estrogen and testosterone on the body, according to the study published Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology.

Other chemicals discovered in the plastic packaging bind to chemical receptors that control how cells use energy, possibly leading to metabolic disorders.

The scientists analyzed 36 types of plastic food and drink packaging across five countries with high usage of single-use plastic: the U.S. U.K., Germany, South Korea and Norway.