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I'll have the double cheeseburger with no onions, and hold the infertility and organ toxicity, please.
Not something commonly heard at many fast food places, is it?
Most people are more concerned with the kinds of food going into their bodies, but maybe it's time to start thinking about what the food is packaged in.
Last week Sen. Ellen Corbett from San Leandro, along with other health and environmental advocates, announced plans for legislation that would ban the use of toxic chemicals found in food packaging.
SB 1313, the bill introduced to the Senate by Corbett, would require perfluorochemicals be removed from all food packaging by 2010 and that manufacturers use safe alternatives in their place.
Microwave popcorn bags, boxes for home-cooked pizzas and fast food wrappers are just some of the products that contain PFCs.
"Despite the fact that most consumers believe the packaging surrounding their food is safe, the reality is certain food packaging contains toxic chemicals that can cause harm to children's health and the environment," Corbett said in a statement.
PFCs are chemicals used as stain, grease and water repellents for food wrappers, clothing, carpets and furniture, according to the Environmental Working Group. These chemicals have been detected in adults, newborns and wildlife all around the world and can remain in the body for decades.
Some fast food companies such as Burger King and Wendy's, have already removed the dangerous chemicals from their packaging, but other chains are still serving up burgers and fries with a side of PFCs. Yummy.
Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can affect the brain and reproductive systems, and it can cause different types of cancers and organ toxicity, according to the environmental group's Web site.
Wonderful, yet another thing to try to avoid so as to not get cancer.
We don't live in a perfect world. It's full of pollution, disease and other yucky things that, unless we all live in our own little plastic bubbles, we are unable to avoid.
As stated on the American Cancer Society Web site, "People are exposed to numerous substances at any one time, including those they encounter at work, school or home; in the food they eat; and the air they breathe. And it is usually many years (often decades) between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of cancer. Therefore, it can be very hard to single out any particular exposure as having a definite link to cancer."
Avoiding everything that could possibly cause cancer equates to doing nothing in life, and I don't know anyone who would be satisfied with that. There are way too many things to be concerned with to be worrying about every carcinogen.
I would be lying if I said it didn't trouble me when I found out my favorite home-cooked pizzas or fast-food tacos were wrapped in packaging containing harmful chemicals. But am I going to get a full blood work-up after every visit to Taco Bell? Definitely not.
Some big names in the fast food industry have taken the step to rid packaging of PFCs and have been doing so for quite some time. So we already know it's possible to do, a better reason to make it a legal mandate in California.
I think we could all survive having slightly greasier hands when enjoying our next fast food indulgence to know the wrappers the food came in won't cause cancer.
Jacqueline Carambat can be reached at jcarambat@theorion.com
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