Plastic Sandwich Bags Like Ziploc & PFAS "Forever Chemicals"

March 5, 2024 // by Leah Segedie

Are you looking for the safest plastic sandwich bags similar to Ziploc without indication of PFAS “forever chemicals?” Mamavation sent several types of plastic sandwich bags to an EPA certified laboratory to find out which ones may be contaminated with PFAS. PFAS “forever chemicals” are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used as stain-resistant, water-resistant, & oil-resistant chemicals in commerce, however they are very toxic, persistent, and detrimental to hormonal health. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best water purifiers to filter PFAS “forever chemicals,” safest baking sheets, cookie pans, & sheet pans, & safest cookware sans PFAS & nanoparticles, now join us for our latest consumer study on plastic sandwich bags similar to Ziploc tested for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links, some of which are to Amazon. Mamavation uses affiliate money received to pay ourselves back for testing and fund other consumer investigations in the future. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you for supporting Mamavation!

Table of Contents

Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” after analyzing 11 popular plastic sandwich bags similar to Ziploc. PFAS is found in many other areas of our homes with some examples being cookware, makeup, drinking water, contact lenses & dental floss. These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because PFAS are so toxic, Mamavation has commissioned our own scientific studies on indications of PFAS in products to make recommendations for plastic sandwich bags like Ziploc made from PFAS-free materials. Read Mamavation’s articles on these products to find which brands are organic-fluorine-free.

For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 11 plastic sandwich bags similar to Ziploc from 10 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for indications of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” Here’s what we found:

In other words, the vast majority of plastic sandwich bags we sent to the lab had traces of organic fluorine above 10 parts per million. If you are using plastic storage bags for food storage, this investigation will be very important to follow to reduce your family’s exposure to PFAS indicators.

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic for human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. In fact, many of these PFAS chemicals can last for years or decades in our bodies. The health effects from exposure to PFAS on the armpit areas right next to breast tissue are unknown. It’s also unknown what happens when it is absorbed into our tissues and travels around in our bodies. However, we do know that these areas can be vulnerable to toxic chemicals like PFAS “forever chemicals” because of the proximity to breast tissue and the lymphatic system. Therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water, and consumer products like plastic storage bags. Mamavation is dedicated to helping you do that when you are shopping for food storage products.

Here are some of the health effects of different PFAS “forever chemicals:”

It’s also very clear based on biomonitoring evidence from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that PFAS are in all Americans. Therefore, these exposures can harm most Americans.

We recognize that plastic sandwich bags, like Ziploc, have many uses other than just food storage. Although we recommend that you use glass & stainless steel for your food storage, sometimes we make compromises and having a plastic bag is more convenient. From plastic freezer bags, to quart bags, to gallon bags, ziploc bags are commonplace in most homes. The mystery is what they are made from inside the plastic film to make them so durable. We cannot answer for you what the additives are each brand is using in each bag because we did not do that type of testing, because it’s more than we can afford. But at the very least, Mamavation can help you understand whether your plastic sandwich bags are contaminated with PFAS “forever chemical” indicators, which would make them more problematic than regular plastic bags.

From storing hobby materials with their easy-grip texture, airtight zipper, and easy grip seal these bags are very convenient to use for other types of storage that are non-food related. We get it. Mamavation uses Ziploc brand gallon bags for collecting materials and sending to the lab, as do many other scientists. (Note: Ziploc brand is non-detect.)

However, there are some additional cautions we will give you if you are using them for food storage.

Most of the sandwich bag brands we tested claim to be free from Bisphenol A (BPA) and some additional ones claim to be free from phthalates in their product details, which is pretty standard. Just note there are many other chemicals that can be present that are still harmful to hormones so this is why glass and stainless steel are superior food storage tools for your kitchen.

Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.

Plastic sandwich bags were purchased and donated between December 2022 and February 2024. Each product was recorded in our database and then sent directly to the lab within its original packaging.

Testing: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory uses marker testing to identify the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in deodorants. Organic fluorine is a marker for PFAS because all PFAS chemicals are carbon-based compounds that contain fluorine. The specific lab method used to test for total fluorine was the Determination of Total Fluorine by Oxygen Flask Combustion and Ion-Selective Electrode. If total fluorine was observed at a detection level of 10 ppm or greater, the lab did the Determination of free Fluoride Ion in the product by Ion-Selective Electrode and then subtracted that from the Total Fluorine to determine the amount of organic fluorine. This marker testing is likely to show the presence of PFAS. Organic fluorine can also capture other fluoropolymers, pharmaceuticals, and common hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, such as 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (commonly known as R-134a) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (commonly known as HFO-1234yf), which are all also PFAS. None of which you want around your food, food storage, or personal care products.

Scott Belcher, Ph.D. & Associate Professor with the Center for Environmental & Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University says “fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are extremely common forms of PFAS that could be contributing to the organic fluorine found in plastic storage bags. Methods used for detecting individual PFAS, such as PFOA or GenX, cannot directly identify PTFE. However, the analysis of total organic fluorine (TOF) does account for all PFAS contaminants in deodorants, including PTFE. Therefore, this method of testing serves as a good ‘spot-check’ of consumer products.”

These products were sent off to an EPA-certified laboratory and found to have traces of organic fluorine, which is indicative of PFAS “forever chemicals.”

These products were sent off to an EPA-certified laboratory and found to have no detection of organic fluorine.

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