Is Plastic Making You Fat?
It’s well known that plastics contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. However, a recent study published in Environmental Science and Technology found that these infamous chemicals may just be the tip of the trashberg. The researchers tested 34 common plastic products from bath slippers to yogurt cups and found that a third of them contained chemicals that induced the growth of fat cells in the lab.
“The most important finding, I think, is that everyday plastic products contain chemicals that can disrupt our metabolism in a process we call adipogenesis,” study co-author and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) associate professor Martin Wagner told EcoWatch. “And we know that adipogenesis is like the first step towards developing obesity or becoming overweight later.”
Mystery Chemicals The researchers used mass spectrometry to identify the chemicals in 34 common plastic items, including food packaging like yogurt cups and plastic bottles as well as household items like kitchen sponges or placemats. The goal, Wagner said, was to cover the major types of plastic polymers.
Excerpted from EcoWatch
