According to the BBC, scientists are of two minds when it comes to the lasting effects of the chemicals used in the packaging of foods. Some claim that the call for attention to such issues is "alarmist", while others believe that more research needs to be done on the effects of lifetime use of such products. These concerns were expressed in a piece published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Scientists claim that the links between cancer, neurological disorders, obesity, diabetes, and the use of these products have not been properly explored. Chemicals, such as formaldehyde, are used in the creation of these products, and could possibly leech into the food they contain.
"Whereas the science for some of these substances is being debated and policymakers struggle to satisfy the needs of stakeholders, consumers remain exposed to these chemicals daily, mostly unknowingly," said scientists Jane Muncke, John Peterson Myers, Martin Scheringer and Miquel Porta in their article.
Other scientists have labeled these cries for research as alarmist. Dr. Ian Musgrave, senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide, stated that fear of formaldehyde in bottles is ridiculous. Formaldehyde occurs naturally in many commonly eaten foods, and to consume the amount of formaldehyde in an apple, someone would have to drink 20 liters of bottled water.
He suggested that if we were to be concerned about bottled water, we should probably place stickers on fruit and vegetables that warned consumers of their likeliness to cause cancer.
Dr. Oliver Jones, from the RMIT University in Melbourne, stated that we should be more concerned with "the high levels of fat, sugar and salt in a lot of today's processed food" and that this is far more alarming then a small percentage of chemicals.
