Soft plastic bread packaging: lead content and reuse by families
- Univ. of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway (USA)
The presence of lead in labels painted on soft plastic bread packaging was evaluated. Lead was detected on the outside of 17 of 18 soft plastic bread bags that were analyzed, with an average of 26 +/- 6 mg per bag with lead. Of 106 families questioned, 16 percent of respondents reported turning the bags inside out before reusing for food storage, thus putting food in contact with the lead paint. We estimate that a weak acid, such as vinegar, could readily leach 100 micrograms of lead from a painted plastic bag within 10 minutes. Further, lead and other metals painted on food packaging of any type becomes part of the municipal waste stream subject to incineration and to land-filling. The use of lead in packaging presents an unnecessary risk to public health.
- OSTI ID:
- 5733976
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Public Health; (USA), Vol. 81:6; ISSN 0090-0036
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
LEAD
HEALTH HAZARDS
BREAD
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
MAN
NEW JERSEY
PACKAGING
PLASTICS
PRODUCT LABELING
RISK ASSESSMENT
ANIMALS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION II
FOOD
HAZARDS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PRIMATES
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
USA
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology