Children most vulnerable to chemicals in food, packaging

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics indicates that synthetic chemicals used as additives and in food packaging are harmful to health.

Children are more sensitive to these chemicals because their organs are still developing.

"Children are not small adults," said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayna, badociate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and co-author. of the report. "What we have learned in medicine over time is that what you are exposed early in life can really affect subsequent outcomes."

Many chemicals used in food packaging such as Bisphenols (BPA), phthalates and perfluoroalkyls (PFCs) negatively affect children's development, including the time of puberty.

Thousands of chemicals used in food manufacturing were approved by the federal government decades ago. There is no obligation to update the Food and Drug Administration with new information.

"There are so many chemicals that are added to foods where we have no toxicity data," Sathyanarayna said. to these chemicals, Sathyanarayana recommends eating whole and fresh foods. Avoid heating food in plastic containers, especially those with recycling codes 3, 6 and 7.