I remember a time when asking for “No MSG” was standard practice when ordering Chinese Food in a restaurant. I don’t ever remembering having to ask for “No Phthalates” at a sandwich shop, though. Based on a new study published last week in Environment International, that may change. Why? Research shows that people who eat out more frequently have higher detectable amounts of phthalates in their urine than those that don’t. Kind of gross, isn’t it?
Researchers on campuses of the University of California-Berkley and UC-San Francisco, as well as at George Washington University, analyzed data on more than 10,000 people who were six years old or older. The data was collected from 2005 to 2014 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Part of the data included phthalate concentrations from urine samples related to the frequency survey respondents ate out versus eating at home. Those who regularly ate out had 35 percent higher phthalate levels than those who didn’t. The difference was even higher for teens: 55 percent.
Phthalates, as we have discussed several times, are suspected to be a significant reproductive hormone disruptor. Additional studies have found links to health problems like asthma, obesity, and behavioral issues in kids. Your diet is the primary exposure source for most phthalates, which contaminate the food supply by leeching from food contact materials like cans, plastic bottles, food processing machinery, or even the plastic gloves worn by restaurant workers. With two-thirds of the U.S. population eating at least some food outside the home daily, there is risk to everybody here.
So, since our fast-paced society forces us to eat out more than we like, what can we do to mitigate our risk? When the researchers looked at categories of food, they found that hamburgers and other meat sandwiches topped the risky list. People who ate those kind of sandwiches the day before testing tended to have higher phthalate levels, but only if they'd purchased the sandwiches from a restaurant. There is a small silver lining—the evidence was weaker when it came to French fries or pizza. Eating more home-cooked meals could help limit phthalate exposure, but it’s important to still be mindful of the foods you choose. Phthalates can lurk in the processed packaged foods sold in grocery stores, too.
Speaking of lurking, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation in the world of swirling ocean plastic located between California and Hawaii, is now three times the size of France. According to a three-year study published in Scientific Reports last month, the mass is about 618,000 square miles in size. That makes it more than double the size of Texas, and up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates.
The patch is so large, environmentalists last fall called on the United Nations to declare the Great Pacific Garbage Patch a country, calling it "The Trash Isles," and even creating a passport and currency for it. The group solicited 200,000 people to become citizens, with the first to sign up former US vice president and environmentalist Al Gore. While discarded fishing nets, known as “ghost nets,” make up nearly half the 80,000 metric tons of garbage floating at sea, you and your clients can still make a difference in the environment right here at home—and it all starts with awareness. We can’t change what we’re not paying attention to and what we don’t realize is a problem.
Have you thought about how you work to educate your clients about some of the things they could be doing and purchasing that would have a positive impact on the environment? Each sourcing and purchasing decision, starting with something as simple as reusable grocery totes, or reusable water bottles, or behavior like refusing straws at restaurants, can make a big difference overall. How about the next time you’re talking coffee cups with your clients, you expand the discussion to include whether they’re still sourcing single-use items or are prepared to think about other mindful alternatives? In your constant effort to bring more value to your clients, this is a chance to educate, increase awareness, and bring that value up to a much larger playing field—or ocean.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. You can find him volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.