Twice today, I was “assaulted” by fast food “news”.

First, I should explain two things.

One- I am a very good cook.  I am honored that many friends feel free to join me for dinner- clearly on Shabat and holidays-  but often on many other days of the week.  I find it problematic to visit restaurants where the food is often mediocre, the menu prices are high, and the wine charges atmospheric.  Why not eat at home?

Second- I keep kosher.  So, most fast food fare is simply off-limits.  Which is a great lead in to the first news item of the morning.

Bonnie Manning Anderson, a blogging buddy (one I’ve encountered in both the virtual and real world) waxed on about her love of McDonald’s.  OK.  In this case, in particular, for its “Happy Meals”.  And, its current campaign with Disney to offer 50 different toys.  (Yes, she plans to acquire each and every one of them.)

I commented that I recall how my son reacted when we were in Jerusalem and saw a McDonald’s.  (They serve kosher food in Israel.)  He wanted to go in and get his first “Happy Meal”.

What about the second news item?

Oh, this is nowhere near “happy”.

Drs. Lariah Edwards, Nathan McCray, and Ami Zota, along with Brianna VanNoy and Ruth Geller (all associated with George Washington University), Dr. Alice Yau (Southwest Research Institute) and Gary Adamkiewicz (Harvard) published an article in one of the Nature journals (Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology).  Phthalate and novel plasticizer concentrations in food items from U.S. fast food chains: a preliminary analysis.

The research involved purchasing food at the top two chains among burgers, pizza, and TexMex facilities and assaying the wares for the presence of phthalates (plasticizer components.)  The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has no rulings regarding the presence of phthalates in foods.  (Hmm. You should know that the Consumer Product Safety Commission [CSPC, via laws] banned the use of three phthalates in toys.)  The EPA, which regulates water and wastes, does; they are called health protection thresholds.

Here’s the problem- phthalates are associated with health problems in humans.  They are endocrine disrupters, affect our fertility and reproductions, as well as providing risks for behavioral and attention disorders- as well as impede our learning capabilities.  And, the most common method of our exposure to these plasticizers is via food ingestion.  (Other avenues- personal care products and inhalation.)  And, given the laxity of most industrial firms, it’s not surprising that we often find phthalates in fatty foods (dairy products, fish, seafood, and a few oils.)

Which also mean if a woman were breastfeeding, she would be providing said chemicals to her newborn.  (And, young kids suck on their toys- that’s why the CPSC outlawed the plasticizers in toys.) Moreover, we know that both women and kids have excreted phthalates in their urine- which means it is present in their bodies.

Given this study, we now know that phthalates are served along with our meals from fast food restaurants.  Dioctyl terephthalate (DEHT) was present in 86% of the food samples (median level of 2.5 mg/kg, with a maximum finding of 12.4 mg/kg)- thrice as high in burritos (6 mg/kg) than in hamburgers (2.2 mg/kg), and (thankfully?) never in the french fries. Ortho-phthalates were also found in 70 of 80% of the samples, but at lower levels than the DEHT.  Cheese pizza had the lowest level of these contaminants.

It’s not clear from where these compounds arise- from the conveyor belts where the food is prepared or from gloves (used in the food preparation) or tubing.  But all these foods are highly processed and packaged, so there are manifold opportunities for contamination.  (The study did not attempt to identify the sources of the chemicals.)

However, previous studies have shown that folks like me who cook their own food at home have much lower levels of phthalates in their bodies. Probably because we don’t cook using plastic gloves or use conveyor belts to move the food around our kitchen. (Those whose diet is replete with fast food certainly do have higher levels of the contaminants.  That would be the poor and minorities.)

Who’s coming for dinner this Shabat?