“Plastics are complex mixtures of polymers and a multitude of chemicals used during production either to produce or to enhance the properties of the materials. These chemicals are intentionally added and include residual solvents, monomers, and catalysts, as well as a range of additives. In addition, plastic products contain nonintentionally added substances (NIAS), such as impurities and reaction or degradation byproducts generated during the production, use, and end-of-life phase of plastics. (1) In fact, more than 13,000 plastic chemicals are known. (2−4)

Indeed, plastics are considered a main source of chemical exposure to humans and the environment. (5) This is because most plastic chemicals are not chemically bound to the polymer matrix, resulting in their release from plastic via migration or volatilization. Within that broader context, plastic food contact articles (FCAs), that is, plastic used to package or process food, are particularly relevant for human exposure. (6) For instance, certain plastic chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, have been detected in more than 90% of the US population. (7−9)

Plastic chemicals have adverse health effects across the full life cycle of plastics. (10) Here, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, compounds “that interferes with any aspect of hormone action”, (11) are of particular concern. A chemical disruption of the endocrine system contributes to a wide range of adverse health effects, including reproductive, developmental and metabolic disorders, and cancer. (12) There is robust evidence that links exposures to BPA and phthalates to such adverse outcomes (13) resulting in substantial societal costs. (14,15) Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) represent another relevant class of compounds. (16,17) MDCs promote obesity, type 2 diabetes, or other metabolic disorders, thereby contributing to the increase in noncommunicable diseases. (16,18,19)