AbstractA method of evaluating the mutagenicity of extracts from plastic food packaging materials has been developed using sister chromatid exchange (SCE). The procedure for the plastics material (PVC, PS and PP) is based upon a Soxhlet extraction and the operations of dispersing the polymer into an adequate solvent followed by precipitation with methanol, filtration and evaporation to dryness of the filtrate containing the total mix of additives.The solvents used are double‐distilled water, simulating most aqueous liquid foods, andn‐heptane as a fat simulant.The extracts were added to cell cultures of human lymphocytes. The mutagenetic activity of this mixture was evaluated using an SCE test. No extract showed any such activity. The study demonstrated that the SCE test on human lymphocytes can be used as a valid method for evaluating the mutagenic quality of complex mixtu