Out of the more than 14,000 chemicals currently tracked for potential health risks, 3,601 were found in human bodies. This is roughly 25 percent of the total, raising concerns about potential links to non-communicable diseases and reproductive issues, the authors found. The study reviewed data from biomonitoring programs, studies, and metabolomic databases.
There’s evidence that certain chemicals might be related to the growing number of non-communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases, which are non-contagious diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the main cause of death globally and a growing health problem. Benzophenone, used in the manufacture of plastic packaging, is a “presumed carcinogen,” the researchers reported.
It is among several food contact chemicals detected in humans, including styrene, formaldehyde, and cadmium. Although the researchers cast a wide net, Christopher Kassotis, assistant professor in Wayne State University’s Department of Pharmacology, said the list of harmful chemicals is presumably longer, because their search was restricted to specific databases and biomonitoring programs. Kassotis, who directs a research lab that studies hazardous chemicals, said there are more than 350,000 chemicals and mixtures registered on the global market, with as many as hundreds of thousands without sufficient toxicological characterization.
“It offers an important opportunity for prevention and protection of health,” said Geueke, sen.