Plastic food wrap brand could pose cancer risk

Children who take their sandwiches to school in plastic food wrap and families who use the material to cook and store food could be exposed to a chemical linked to liver cancer.

The Consumer Council said yesterday that a brand of wrap sold in Hong Kong - Polatex - had been found to contain the substance DEHA, which has been shown to cause liver tumours in mice.

While the chemical has not been proved to cause cancer in people, authorities in Britain are advising consumers to avoid exposure to it.

The council does not know how the chemical may be transferred to food, but says using it to cover food in a microwave or wrap it for storage may be enough. The substance would be ingested when the food was eaten.

Council spokesman Dr Lo Chi-kin said Customs had been asked to consider whether the wrap should be pulled from the shelves. 'We sent our report to [Polatex's] agent. They say they did their own test and they thought the product was safe. That's their opinion,' Dr Lo said.