Look out for potentially dangerous food chemicals for your kids

Washington: Parents are generally indulged in non-responsive feeding practices for their kids' fussy eating habits, but now they also need to analyse the harmful chemicals added to food and used in food packaging, which are potentially harmful to children.

Chemicals used in packaging and in processed meats, among others, can lead to obesity, puberty issues and other health problems, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said. Additives may be added directly to food or leach into packaging and plastics.

The chemicals that raise the concern are:

* Bisphenols: such as BPA, which are used in the lining of metal cans. They can act like estrogen in the body. This can affect the onset of puberty, increase body fat, decrease fertility and impact the nervous system and immune system.

* Phthalates: which are found in plastics, can impact male genital development, childhood obesity and heart disease.

* Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs): which are used in grease-proof food packaging, could reduce immunity, birth weight and fertility.

* Percholate: which is added in dry food packaging to control static electricity, is known to disrupt thyroid function and can affect early brain development.

* Nitrates and nitrites: which are used to preserve food and found in processed meats, can interfere with thyroid hormone production.

All humans are impacted by the chemicals, but children are the worst affected.