Awareness of parents about risk to children’s health arising from exposure to selected chemicals passing from plastic food packaging

Abstract

Introduction and objective Among chemicals that penetrate from plastic packaging to food products, bisphenol A, phthalates, polystyrene and perfluorinated compounds should be mentioned. They can migrate uncontrollably into food, creating the risk to the health of consumers, especially children. The aim of the study was to assess parents’ level of knowledge about chemicals passing from plastic packaging to food and their impact on children’s health. Material and methods The study group included 300 parents of children aged 1–7 years. The research instrument was an author-constructed questionnaire. The results were statistically analyzed (Pearson’s chi-squared test). The level of statistical significance was set at α = 0.05. Results Results Parents’ awareness of health risk for children resulting from exposure to selected chemicals from plastic food packaging is insufficient. Most parents in the study do not know toxic substances present in plastic food packaging and are unable to determine their negative impact on children’s health. Although some parents declared that they encountered BPA, phthalate, PFC or polystyrene on the labels of food packaging, this knowledge does not affect their purchasing decisions. Conclusions Parents’ awareness of risk to their children’s health resulting from exposure to selected chemicals that pass from plastic packaging to food is insufficient. It is necessary to develop educational and preventive programmes in order to expand knowledge about threats and health consequences related to the penetration of toxic substances from packaging to food.

Keywords

• food
• awareness
• phthalates
• polystyrene
• plastic packaging
• bisphenol a