BRITS are warned against using dodgy plastic containing bamboo after a link was found between long-term use and kidney damage.
The Food Standard Agency (FSA) has concluded that prolonged exposure to cups and straws containing certain materials can pose serious health risks.
In addition to bamboo, Brits are advised not to use “food contact materials” such as cutlery and Tupperware made from other dubious plant-based materials that can be used to make plastic mixtures.
These include rice husks, wheat straw and hemp, which the Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (TOC) concluded are not safe for use.
The FSA-backed COT found that bamboo and similar materials in combination with plastic could mean the chemicals formaldehyde and melamine could leak into products at dangerously high levels.
Although formaldehyde is naturally produced by the human body, if we ingest too much it can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
They also found that melamine is almost non-poisonous over a short period of time, but emphasize that longer exposure can be serious.
But when consumed at high levels, it can cause damage to the kidneys and urinary tract.
While they recognize that it is very unlikely that using these plastic products every now and then will harm you, the FSA warns against prolonged exposure.
The long-term risk of using these products remains unclear and the FSA intends to put an end to the sale of these plastics by retailers.
They also want people who already own these plastics to get rid of them or reuse them.
The sale of these products has already been banned as food contact materials in Northern Ireland.
But bamboo and plant materials alone are not to blame, says the FSA.
Only when you mix these untested materials with plastic do they pose a serious health risk.
The FDA admitted: “It may be difficult to tell whether a product is made from a bamboo composite material once removed from packaging, but products will have a smooth surface and feel like plastic.”
James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the FSA, said: “Our mission is to make sure food is safe and this also includes making sure the products that come into contact with our food, such as containers and utensils, are also safe.”
“Following our robust risk assessment process, we found that there is insufficient evidence to give us confidence that these products are safe for use by consumers.
“Therefore, our position remains that food containers and utensils containing bamboo composite material should not be sold in the UK.”
“We do not know the long-term health impacts of using these products and we continue to have concerns that chemicals such as formaldehyde and melamine may leach from these materials when they are in contact with food, especially hot or acidic foods.”
“Previously, companies were asked to remove these products from sale and, as a precautionary measure, consumers were warned that they should not use any of these products they had previously purchased until they were completely used up. investigation on potential risks has been concluded.”
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