Health Dept looking hard at PVC

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33750, 24 January 1975, Page 15

Health Dept looking hard at PVC

The use of polyvinylchloride plastic food containers, some of which are reported to contain harmful chemicals which migrate from the plastic into foods, is under surveillance in New Zealand by the Health Department.

Dr W. Murphy, head of the department’s food branch in Wellington, said that the significance of the effects of the PVC plastic containers on human health had yet to be fully assessed. He was commenting on a report from the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Canberra at which Dr B. Selinger. of the Australian National University, and a consumer representative on the Food Standards Committee, said that in spite of warnings about the harmful effects of PVC the food packaging industry had made no moves, to withdraw the containers. ( Dr Selinger told the con-i ference that the recent dis-! covery of the potent carcino-: genic properties of vinyl i chloride, giving a rare liver i cancer, had led to concern, over the use of PVC polymer for food purposes. “Analyses done on sand-: wiches wrapped in PVC show' considerable migration of; vinyl chloride in the food,”! he said. PVC containers were! still being used in the pack-j aging of alcohol, cordials and i oils. The plastic was also used, as trays for biscuits and*

I chocolates, bottles for orange I juices, juice concentrates, i cordials and edible oils, spirits ‘and wines, tomato sauce and i vinegar. “The single-serve packets so beloved of airlines, restaurants and hospitals for honey, marmalade, jam and salad dressing also use PVC plastic,” said Dr Selinger. Australia had, he said, taken la very negative approach although the Standards Association of Australia was now drafting a standard of food packing material. In New Zealand, Dr Murphy said, the Health Department had been investigating a number of plastic packs and had accumulated data on them. He added that the PVC | plastic was under extensive! investigation overseas. There, was quite a wide area of in-1 terest.

Of those containers checked so far in the Dominion the danger level was very low and often undetectable. In cases where the food containers were considered to be harmful to human health their manufacturers had been informed and some of these manufacturers were endeavouring to change their packs, Dr Murphy said.