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McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's use gloves with chemicals study links to brain development delays

August 12, 2019

The phthalates used in vinyl gloves used at some of the world's biggest fast food chains can cause brain development delays in youngsters and reproductive issues in women, according to research by a national alliance of public health non-profits called The Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging, according to the study. 

In the group's research they tested 123 gloves from used at 15 U.S. chains provided by 32 national distributors. The organization found that toxic chemicals known as ortho-phthalates — now restricted in Maine as well as Europe and Japan — in one of seven of the chains that used vinyl gloves for food handling, including those from Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's. The organization said about two-thirds of the 123 gloves studied were, in fact, made of vinyl. 

In utero, phthalates exposure has been connected with male genital malformations, infertility later in life and ADHD diagnoses in children. The problem for QSR supply chain managers is that the organization said that unless they screen each glove it is nearly impossible to tell which gloves contain phthalates "due to poor global supply chain management and lack of transparency," according to the report. 

Phthalates are used to soften vinyl gloves and include a chemical that is widely banned worldwide called DEHP. That chemical and three others were found in the tested gloves and are easily transferable to food, the organization said. 

The organization recommended that restaurant chains:  

• Replace vinyl gloves with those of polyethylene which was found to be safer. 
• Adopt a safer food-contact chemicals policy based on food industry best practice.