Be careful next time you buy mac and cheese, as a recent study detected some harmful chemicals in several boxed brands of the food. These chemicals are incredibly toxic, and have been banned from being used in baby teething toys.
- Boxed mac and cheese contains dangerous chemicals.
- These chemicals, called phthalates, affect the development of babies and might lead to birth defects.
- Phthalates have been banned from baby teething toys, but are found mostly cheese mixes or other foods.
Scientists and doctors involved in the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging gathered together and developed a study analyzing how good boxed mac and cheese is. They tested 30 products, most of which contained shredded or string cheese, and looked for harmful substances.
The results were quite worrying, as they detected phthalates in 29 of the 30 products. These chemicals are toxic, and have often been linked to the apparition of birth defects in boys or subsequent behavioral problems. The highest phthalate concentration was present in those brands with a cheese powder mix.
These products are more dangerous, since they are marketed as organic. This means that people are more likely to pick them over other brands. Also, their phthalate concentration is four times higher than in other cheese foods.
Since they have an impact on babies’ health, they are no longer to be found in their toys. However, US didn’t ban them from foods. This is why many public health agencies are trying to raise awareness on their risks, and convince the authorities they are bad for the health. This study received funding from several organizations and groups. These are the Ecology Center, the Environmental Health Strategy Center, Safer States, and Healthy Babies Bright Futures.
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