But how did we get from zero phthalates at the turn of the 20th century to having phthalates everywhere you look?Ī quick history lesson: let’s travel back in time to 1872, before we lived in a world littered with plastic. In one study of pregnant women, phthalates were present in 85-100% of urine samples and air samples from their houses. They can also offgas from flooring and furniture (potentially linked to allergy and asthma). They can leach into your packaged foods, which are the main source of high molecular-weight phthalates (more on those later). Phthalates are in a lot of stuff other than mac and cheese boxes It’s surprisingly easy to get high doses of phthalates from food, especially in the US. Phthalates are definitely a cause for concern, especially for infants and expecting females, but threshold doses aren’t known.
IS BOXED MAC AND CHEESE BAD FOR YOU PLUS
The ABSOLUTE MINIMUM you need to know, in 50 words or less:īoxed mac and cheese is high in phthalates because of plastic involved in processing, plus fat content. You’re not going to get a simple “yes” or “no” answer here, because it doesn’t exist. This handy rhyming scheme may help: “THAL - EIGHT isn’t your PAL - MATE!”Īlright mate, let’s dig into the evidence, going beyond the simple sound bites you'll see in news coverage. Or starting at square one, you may simply be wondering how phthalate is pronounced. You may have even started eying your own pantry suspiciously. It’s so hearty, satisfying, and chock-full of dangerous chemicals.Īfter last week’s report on high levels of phthalates in boxed mac and cheese, people started paying more attention to the myriad of research on phthalates and testosterone reduction, birth abnormalities, and the like. Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food.