The number and variety of scientific journals bogle the minds, many of them containing the results of studies seemingly obscure. But many of those studies can impact how we live or should live. A recent study in the Journal of Exposure Science and Epidemiology is a case in point.
Swiss researchers found there are about 14,000 chemicals in food packaging of which 25% are found in the human body. They include metals, organic substances, and PFAS, known as the “forever chemical.” Scientists have known that many of these chemicals spill out from the packaging into our bodies. The number and type depends on the type of packaging and food. Now, there’s a cheery thought.
High temperatures, such as in microwaves, affect food in plastic take-out containers. We live in a convenience driven society, but taking greater care of how we get the food we eat probably takes time many of us don’t want to spend, but it is probably worth it.
Prayer for the Day
Oh, dear God, we try so hard to take care in our fast-paced world,
But it just seems there’s so much we don’t know;
Frustrated by how little time we seem to have in our daily lives,
We move toward the convenient and the easy.
Slow us down, O Lord, help us catch our breaths,
So we focus more on you even when inconvenient.
In the name of the One who helps us to focus on you,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There are known hazardous chemicals that are known to be linked with adverse human health outcomes. And these chemicals leach out of packaging. We need to be thinking about constructive ways forward, and that’s not happening.
Jane Muncke, chief scientific officer, Food Packaging Forum
The great benefit of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquility to make meaningful connections–with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with our own bodies and mind.
Carl Honoré, In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed
Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord for God is good,
And God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all God’s praise?
Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
Psalm 106: 1-3