Packaged dairy products, milk in plastic bags, fruits and vegetables tested by the team had a high content of priority PAEs, capable of interfering with the endocrine system of the human body, writes Kumar Chellappan

Indians are vulnerable to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) present in food and drinking water, according to a team of international scientists who conducted a study under the auspices of agencies such as the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt Ltd., The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Toxics Link, SRM Institute of Science and Technology,  and RECETOX of Czech Republic.

According to Dr. Girija K Bharat, lead scientist, who was honored recently by NITI Aayog for her contribution to ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat’, toxic Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs) have been detected in food items like cottage cheese (paneer), fish stored in plastic packaging materials.

Packaged dairy products, milk in plastic bags, fruits, and vegetables tested by the team had a high content of priority PAEs, capable of interfering with the endocrine system of the human body.

The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs that secrete hormones essential for our growth and development. “EDCs enter our bodies through food, water, air, dermal contact and  can alter our endocrine system. The EDCs  cause serious developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. Some of these chemicals can even cause cancer,” Dr. Girija told The Pioneer while explaining the significance of the findings.

It is a cause of concern that India didn’t have a consolidated regulation dealing with EDCs in general. Food and drinking water samples were collected from different zones of urban Delhi as well as peri-urban areas of Dehradun, in order to form representative data for the Indian subcontinent. “Through in-depth research, we have quantified them for an extensive list of chemical compounds,” she said.

The researchers concluded that India is likely to be a hotspot for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. Several EDCs can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and lactation, said Dr. Girija.

The study also found that many of the food items contained Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) including pesticide residues, such as DDT and Lindane as well as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs),  Dioxins, heavy metals, and plasticizers. Carcinogenic risk due to heavy metals such as Nickel and Arsenic in the diet was higher than the threshold for all food items, the highest being in milk and spinach.

The majority of vegetables had concentrations of Cadmium and Lead higher than permissible limits while pulses had high Nickel content. Phthalic Acid Easters were high in industrially packaged cottage cheese (paneer) and fish. Bisphenol-A (BPA) was found to be high in potatoes and local fish.

Toxic metals such as cadmium and lead (and to a lower extent nickel), were dominant across all food matrices. The highest concentrations of the target heavy metals were found in vegetables, with cadmium, lead, and nickel being found beyond permissible limits in okra, spinach, and cauliflower. The maximum loading in the distribution of individual toxic heavy metals for estimated daily intake was observed in vegetables having contributed as much as 92 percent cadmium. Dairy products had the highest loading for zinc, nickel, and selenium.

According to Dr. Girija, children and pregnant women were at “very high risk” of exposure to such heavy metals, plasticizers, and many EDCs. “We should adopt a routine national monitoring plan to track the occurrence and temporal trends of EDCs in food, and for early identification of contamination hotspots,” she has suggested to the Government of India in her report.

EDCs accumulate in the body from food and the environment during one’s lifetime. They can be transferred to fetuses causing transgenerational effects. Particular attention should be paid to reducing exposure in women of child-bearing age and children. Research points to EDCs as the possible cause of health impairments such as obesity, diabetes, female and male reproductive dysfunctions, hormone-sensitive cancer insurgence in females, prostate cancers, thyroid dysfunction, and neurodevelopment and neuroendocrine system impairment.

India stands to gain by updating its food regulation by having stringent EDC standards to protect its large population from the harmful effects of EDCs. “The time for action is now because the cost of not taking action is very high,” signed off the scientist who holds a post-doctoral fellowship from an international university.