The Food and Drug Administration has decided that food manufacturers can keep using phthalates, a class of toxic chemicals, in food packaging and food production equipment. It disregarded requests from health and environmental advocates to reconsider that decision based on evidence that phthalates in food are harmful to health.

Safer substitutes for these chemicals are available, advocates argue.

“There is overwhelming evidence that phthalates in our food cause life-altering damage to people’s health, including the health of babies and young children,” said Earthjustice Attorney Katherine O’Brien. “Rather than fulfill its duty to protect public health from this toxic exposure, FDA has wasted years on delay tactics while both the evidence of phthalates’ toxic effects and the human health toll continue to grow.”

The FDA is continued to allow the use of phthalates in food packaging and processing materials — including phthalates that were banned years ago from use in children’s products because they’re not safe.

Phthalates harm people’s hormonal systems and are linked health problems, including preterm birth, birth defects, infertility, miscarriage, breast cancer, diabetes, and asthma. Phthalates also harm the developing brain, leading to reduced IQ and attention and behavior disorders in children. Babies and young children are most vulnerable to harm from phthalates and suffer the greatest exposure.

People of color, as well as low-income people, also face higher risks of serious health problems from exposure to phthalates compared to the general population.

“The continued use of phthalates in food processing and packaging represents an ongoing public health threat with serious implications for babies, young children, and women in particular,” said Peter G. Lurie, M.D., president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The risk of harm outweighs whatever advantages phthalates offer to the food industry, Laurie said.