This Food Packaging “Significantly” Produces Microplastics in Urine, Says New Research

Maybe you’ve heard about the increasing research that’s suggesting too much exposure to polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, could increase cancer risk and disrupt hormonal harmony. Meanwhile, another substance used in plastic packaging, bisphenol A or BPA, has been linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

BPA is used in items like reusable water bottles, as well as food containers in the freezer aisle and heat-and-eat kiosks around the market. Without following a few important steps, those quick, convenient options may come with a price, says a team of researchers in Turkey who compared the BPA exposure and health effects between fresh, canned and ready-to-eat meals.

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The randomized, controlled, single-blinded July 2024 study published in Nutrients followed 48 healthy university students between the ages of 18 and 30. The study was led by researchers in Turkey who specialize in the study of toxicology, pharmacology, and public health.

Study participants were randomly assigned to eat either fresh, canned or plastic-packaged ready-to-eat meals over a four-day period. On the first and second days, they were given a series of rules to follow to limit their plastic exposure:

• Avoid “meals prepared outside the home, canned food and beverages, frozen meals, plastic-packaged food, water from polycarbonate bottles, food stored in plastic containers or use plastic containers in microwave ovens.”
• Not to eat any food or beverage other than water after 10 p.m.
• Fast for at least eight hours.
• Avoid any physical activity beyond their typical routine.
• Only consume processed products packaged in glass containers or in “low-density polyethylene plastic containers” like those you might buy milk or orange juice in.
• Avoid coffee, or only use a French press or ceramic dripper instead of a plastic coffee machine.

The researchers took urine samples and a 24-hour “food consumption record” to ensure participants complied with these requirements.

On the third and fourth days of the study, participants’ heart rate and blood pressure readings were taken before they received their meal assignment for the day. Urine samples, heart rate and blood pressure readings were taken two, four and six hours after eating the meal.

The researchers found that the study participants who ate ready-to-eat meals had “significantly increased urine BPA concentrations” compared to the other two groups. The authors cited past research which suggested this can have implications for the liver, in addition to the hormone-disrupting effects on the thyroid and issues with other important health functions.

Another observation was that those who ate the fresh meals appeared to clear out evidence of plastics from their system via urine two hours faster than the ready-to-eat group.

Eating ready-to-eat meals was also associated with higher blood pressure and pulse pressure, or the difference between the upper and lower numbers of your blood pressure, according to the Cleveland Clinic, as well as decreased diastolic blood pressure and heart rate.

The participants who ate canned food saw higher blood pressure values, which may speak to the constricting effect of sodium on the blood vessels.

These findings may be one more reason to slow down and take a few moments to prepare something fresh, or at least be sure to remove your food from its plastic packaging before you warm it—and minimize those prepared, processed foods.

For the convenience of frozen foods, look for microwavable meals that come in compostable containers. Increasingly, manufacturers of prepared foods with higher-quality ingredients are utilizing these eco- and human-friendly methods.

• Do ‘Forever Chemicals’ Leak Into Your Frozen Foods in the Microwave? Experts Respond
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• New Study: Drinking This Daily May Increase ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Your Blood
• This Is Why You Should Never Refill Your Plastic Water Bottle