People eating large amounts of fast food risk exposure to phthalates: Study

People who eat a lot of fast food could increase their exposure to a group of potentially harmful chemicals known as phthalates by 40 per cent, according to new research.

Phthalates find wide use in softening and increasing the flexibility of plastic and vinyl and had been banned from use in children's toys and products due to their potentially toxic effects.

The chemicals which could interfere with the activity of hormones, had been linked to several conditions and illnesses, including asthma and autism.

The study, published in the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, was among the first to look at fast-food consumption and phthalates exposure.

Meats and grains contributed most significantly to the levels of phthalates.

According to research conducted earlier, the chemicals could leach out of plastic food packaging and contaminate highly processed food.

Lead author assistant professor Ami Zota, of Milken Institute's School of Public Health in the US, said: ''People who ate the most fast food had phthalate levels that were as much as 40 per cent higher.''

''Our findings raise concerns because phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems in children and adults', Zota said in a statement.

The study, published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that among nearly 9,000 test participants, phthalate levels in their systems were directly related to how much fast food they had eaten in the last 24 hours.

Phthalates had been linked to a number of disorders including asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and breast cancer. The chemicals are not metabolised by our bodies and interfere with the system that regulates our hormones.