REVEALED: The fast food restaurants with the highest levels of hormone-scrambling chemicals

Wendy’s is the fast food restaurant with the highest levels of toxic, microscopic toxins in its meals, according to a shocking analysis.

The chicken nuggets were found to contain up to ten times more phthalates – a ‘forever chemical’ linked to cancer, fertility problems and autism – than food sold at competing chains.

The watchdog Consumer Reports tested 18 fast-food meals from nine of America’s favorite fast-food restaurants, including McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell.

Moe’s Southwest Grill chicken burrito scored second highest for phthalates, with Chipotle’s chicken burrito in third place.

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics such as food containers, bags and disposable cutlery more durable.

They belong to a broader group of ‘forever chemicals’, which get their name because they cannot be broken down once they enter the body.

Exposure to heat and other conditions causes the chemicals from plastic products to leach into everything the plastic comes into contact with – from clothing to food.

For the tests, researchers took two to three samples of each fast food item and sent them to a laboratory to test for phthalate levels.

The items were purchased from popular brand stores from across the United States. Little Caesars, Domino’s and Pizza Hut were also included in the analysis.

Of the 18 fast food products examined, Consumer Reports found that they averaged about 12,000 nanograms (ng) of phthalates per serving.

A nanogram is approximately one billionth of a gram.

In fourth place was Burger King’s famous Whopper with Cheeseburger – wrapped in paper – which contained 20,167 ng of phthalates per burger or serving.

And in fifth place were Burger King’s Chicken Nuggets – also wrapped in paper – which contained 19,520 ng of phthalates per ten pieces.

At the other end of the scale was Pizza Hut’s Original Cheese Pan Pizza – delivered in a cardboard box – which contained 2,718 ng of phthalates per slice.

Just ahead was Burger King’s Whopper Hamburger Patty – which contained 2,870 ng of phthalates, and Wendy’s Dave’s Single Hamburger Patty – with 3,629 ng of phthalates.

It is not clear how much of this is broken down by the body or released naturally during the digestive process. But the CDC says between 2 and 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood can cause adverse health problems in people.

Consumer Reports said the phthalates may have entered fast food when it came into contact with packaging – which is normally covered with plastic.

The plastic could also have found its way into food such as burgers and burritos during preparation – with the plastic gloves worn by workers to prevent contamination likely to release phthalates onto burgers.

They can also end up in products such as bread and wraps during production when dough comes into contact with plastic in factories – or can already be present in food if plants have absorbed them from the soil.

Exposure to the chemicals has been linked to asthma, ADHD, breast cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

They have also been linked to a range of birth problems, including low IQ, behavioral problems, autism, altered reproductive development and male infertility.

Tundle Akinleye, a scientist at the watchdog who oversaw the testing, said regulators have not yet set a “safe level” for the substances in foods because they are so common.

But given mounting evidence about health concerns, they said: ‘We don’t feel comfortable saying these levels are OK.

‘They are not.’

Researchers say the wide variation in phthalate levels shows there are ways to minimize exposure to food preparations.

The results were released as part of a larger report that tested 85 everyday items for the presence of phthalates and bisphenols, another type of PFAS.

They tried to make the tests as broad as possible – sampling everything from soft drinks to cereals, bread, meat, fish, spices, desserts and even baby food.

Yet all but one product tested positive for the substances, which are called “forever chemicals” because they are virtually impossible to break down in the environment.

It comes amid growing fears about the massive amounts of chemicals Americans are ingesting each year.

A study earlier this week found that bottled water contained a quarter of a million pieces of microscopic plastic.

DailyMail.com has contacted Wendy’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Chipotle for comment.