University of Toronto study finds ‘forever chemicals’ in several fast food packaging items

A new study out of the University of Toronto has found so-called ‘forever chemicals’ in several fast food packaging items for the first time in Canada, prompting calls for action and greater oversight.

“We as scientists can’t keep up with the proliferation with a large number of new chemicals that are being introduced and used,” Miriam L. Diamond, an earth sciences professor and one of the study leads, told CityNews.

“We should not be conducting an experiment in real-time with our population and our ecosystem to figure out what the toxicity and adverse effects would be of these ‘forever chemicals.'”

Diamond said she and the team of scientists collected packaging items (paper wrappers and bags as well as compostable bowls) from 42 different fast-food establishments.

She said around half of the items contained PFAS (per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), which are used to help stop food and fluids from leaking through the packaging. Diamond said some of the PFAS transfers to food, especially if it’s warm or greasy.

There’s also a concern PFAS could escape into the air. She said the items they collected from establishments were in storage for two years and it was determined up to 85 per cent of some of the PFAS compounds escaped.

“It tells me that the PFAS isn’t stable in that bowl and it gives me greater concern about the PFAS migrating into food,” Diamond said.

“The second thing that it tells me is that remember it’s a forever chemical. Because it’s not found in the food packaging means that it’s found in the air. It doesn’t mean that it’s degraded or it’s gone, so that provides another opportunity for exposure as I inhale air.”

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PFAS (a class of about 10,000 substances) are referred to as ‘forever chemicals,’ she said, because the chemicals aren’t naturally found and it’s not known how long the chemicals last.

Diamond didn’t identify where each of the items with PFAS came from. However, she said when it comes to the chemicals, there is still a lot to learn. Diamond also said many of the items with PFAS likely are being shipped to Canada from other countries.

“Very few out of the whole 10,000 class have been studied for toxicity … many of those that have been studied for toxicity are in fact toxic. The other ones we don’t know,” she said.

“Our regulatory system cannot cope with a huge number of chemicals and many of these chemicals are coming in imported finished goods … How can we possibly be screening for chemicals that we don’t even know exist?”

PFAS in food packaging isn’t the only source of concern. Diamond said there are increasing instances of it being found in water due to an increase in “human activity.”

“The PFAS forever chemicals specifically move towards water. They’re very poorly, if at all, removed from wastewater treatment plants,” she said, noting there isn’t an “economically viable” way to effectively remove it.

“They migrate with water. As a result, we find PFAS in Arctic waters, thousands of kilometres away from where they were intensively used.

“This is really a big concern because there are millions of people that are now drinking water with levels of PFAS that are above health guidelines. This is really a big issue and we should be doing all that we can to avoid further contaminating drinking water.”

With respect to the companies, Diamond said more needs to be done on that front. Since it was difficult to easily identify which of the products did and didn’t have PFAS, she said there needs to be increased responsibility to remove the substances.

“It’s not a matter of you and I figuring out how many meals we should have in a PFAS-laden burrito bowl. No, no, it’s a matter of industry removing these harmful chemicals,” Diamond said.

RELATED: U.S. EPA to limit toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

As the federal government moves to restrict the usage of single-use plastics in favour of other more environmentally sensitive methods, she said more oversight and regulation are needed.

Diamond pointed to legislation tabled in the European Union earlier in March that would bar the entire PFAS class of chemicals from being used in non-essential items.

“In Canada, we’ve restricted very few specific ones of that 10,000 group of chemicals and we’ve not yet introduced further restrictions. The way to go, I think, would be to introduce restrictions on the entire class because all of them are persistent,” she said.

“It’s a matter of the federal government stepping up to the plate to impose restrictions so that all Canadians are safe, so that we don’t have to rely just on corporate responsibility, so that Canadians have the assurance that we’re not consuming these toxic chemicals when we don’t need to.”

CityNews contacted Environment and Climate Change Canada to ask for reaction to the study. A spokesperson said in a statement federal government staff were aware of the study.

“While a range of research and monitoring activities are underway, there is still insufficient information available to determine which and how much of the PFAS being measured in the environment can be specifically attributed to release from food packaging materials,” Nicole Allen wrote.

She went on to say three subgroups of PFAS have been regulated since 2016. In May 2022, there were new draft regulations to phase out certain exemptions tied to that decision. But Allen said a year earlier a “notice of intent” was public to govern PFAS.

“Scientific evidence to date indicates the PFAS used to replace PFOS, PFOA and LC-PFCAs may also be associated with environmental or human health effects. Considering PFAS as a class of chemicals will enable the federal government to better address situations where exposure occurs to multiple PFAS at the same time,” she wrote.

“In the coming months, the Government of Canada will publish a state of PFAS report that will summarize relevant information on the class of substances, including recognition of their persistence and mobility in the environment. This includes PFAS that may be used in other products, and will facilitate future discussions. In addition, the federal government will continue to invest in research and monitoring on PFAS, collect and examine information on these substances to inform a class-based approach and review policy developments in other jurisdictions.”