Bowls used at Chipotle contain cancer-causing chemicals, study shows

There are new concerns that the bowls used at Chipotle restaurants may be linked to cancer.

The New Food Economy said it found the fiber bowls are exposed to chemicals that can lead to cancer.

A study said the bowls are treated with PFAs that are also called forever chemicals.

PFAs help the bowls hold hot, wet and greasy food. The Environmental Protection Agency said those compounds do not break down in the human body and can accumulate over time.

The chemicals also seep into the soil as the bowls break down, leading to toxic compost.

As the New Food Economy wrote:

The bowls used at restaurants like Chipotle and Sweetgreen aren't truly compostable, as has been claimed. Instead, they are likely making compost more toxic, adding to the chemical load of the very soil and water they were supposed to help improve. And rather than degrade quickly, they contain potentially hazardous ingredients that never break down. Not in five years, and not in 500.

San Francisco is banning molded fiber bowls like the ones used at Chipotle, effective Jan. 1. According to New Food Economy, "manufacturers are scrambling to develop a replacement that doesn't include PFAS by San Francisco's deadline. As of this writing, no such alternative exists."