Pizza boxes and food containers contain cancer-causing chemi

Pizza boxes and food containers contain cancer-causing chemi

Widespread industrial chemicals found in pizza boxes and household dust are dangerous to human and environmental health, a group of environmental scientists has warned in an editorial published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives on May 1.

The editorial, known as "The Madrid Statement," was signed by 200 scientists from 38 countries. It urges restrictions on the group of chemicals known as PFASs, and warns against adopting alternatives to PFAS without first subjecting them to rigorous safety testing.

"[R]esearch is needed to find safe alternatives for all current uses of PFASs," wrote Linda Birnbaum of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Phillippe Grandjean of the University of Southern Denmark and the Harvard School of Public Health in an accompanying commentary.

"The question is, should these chemicals continue to be used in consumer products in the meantime, given their persistence in the environment?"

Ubiquitous and deadly

PFASs (perfluorinated alkylated substances, also known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl) are ubiquitous in modern life. They are used to repel oil and water in products such as pizza boxes, waxed pastry bags or beverage cups, wax paper and even carpet treatments. They are also prized for their ability to increase items' durability while resisting high temperatures. Read more