A new test can identify pizza boxes and other paper-based food containers that break phthalate safety rules. The phthalates, or plasticizers, are present because the containers were made from pulp that contained at least some recycled paper and corrugated board. In Italy, where the test was developed, this use of recycled paper and corrugated board for food packaging breaks food safety rules.
Recycled paper and corrugated board can cause problems: If the original paper is loaded with inks, adhesives and other substances, they can be passed into the new recycled material.
One chemical of particular concern is di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP). This is commonly found in inks and other chemicals used in printing. It is potentially dangerous because it has a similar structure to androgenic hormones in the human body.
Pizza in particular is placed directly inside a box, so there is a high chance that the food will be exposed to any volatile chemicals in the corrugated board. To avoid this contamination, the boxes should be made from unrecycled materials.
Working at the University of Milan, Italy, a team of scientists has developed a test that looks specifically at DIBP. In a paper published recently in Packaging Technology and Science, the researchers report the analysis of boxes purchased from 16 different take-out restaurants in northern Italy.
They found that while some boxes exposed pizza to just over 7 micrograms of DIBP under test conditions, others gave exposure to more than 40 micrograms — and one to more than 70 micrograms — of DIBP. This is a clear indication that the boxes had been manufactured using at least some recycled paper or corrugated board.
“Our test can give a standardized measurement of the risk of exposure associated with individual types of boxes,” says lead author Monica Bononi.
Adds co-author Fernando Tateo, “Safety is a key concern in the food industry, and regulations within Italian law help by setting standards for packaging. Our test could help monitor how well manufacturers are keeping to those standards.”
