Why do “chemicals” need simplifying?

Scientists’ Viewpoint proposes ‘chemical simplification’ to deal with increasing chemical pollution; names reduction of number of chemicals used in products and grouping approaches as cornerstones for simplification and innovation in science and engineering as prerequisite

Microplastics measured in newborn, infant, and adult feces

Small study assesses polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate (PC) microplastics in human feces; finds PET and PC in all infant stool and in most meconium and adult stool samples; suggests higher exposure of infants than adults

Toxicological and chemical profiling of plastic migrates

Scientific study investigates in vitro toxicity and composition of chemical mixtures migrating from everyday plastic products made of eight polymer types; demonstrates that thousands of chemicals can leach under realistic use conditions, including compounds toxic in vitro that contribute to human exposure; emphasizes the importance to rethink and redesign plastics to achieve safe materials

Bioassay-based analysis of chemicals in paper & cardboard

Scientific study evaluates presence of hazardous chemicals in methanolic extracts from paper and cardboard food contact materials (FCMs) using several bioassays; finds oxidative stress (52%), genotoxicity (100%), impacts on xenobiotic metabolism (74%), antiandrogenic (52%) and antioestrogenic effects (39%); recommends an effect-based approach for hazard identification of food contact chemicals

EFSA seeks comments on chemical mixtures research and prioritization

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announces public consultation period concerning draft on “scientific criteria for grouping chemicals into assessment groups for human risk assessment” of chemical mixtures; particular focus on chemicals related to food and feed safety; seeking feedback from experts in chemical risk assessment, organizations and people in the field of chemicals mixtures and food safety; comment period ends July 10, 2021

Tackling the toxics in plastics packaging

Article in PLOS Biology discusses hazardous chemicals in plastics; highlights chemicals as critical but often missing aspect in plastic pollution discussion; proposes rethinking current approach to plastic packaging toxicity testing

CHEM Trust launches chemical mixtures resources page

Civil society organization develops resources webpage dedicated to recent scientific research and policy initiatives related to chemical mixtures; provides overview and links to scientific projects and policy reports

GUTS model adapted to chemical mixtures

Study in Environmental Science Technology on adapted General Unified Threshold model for Survival (GUTS) for environmental risk assessment of chemical mixtures; includes time dimension, approach can be extended to multiple compounds, evaluate synergistic or additive interaction

Second episode of ‘Unwrapping Food Packaging’ video blog released

Food Packaging Forum publishes second episode of new video blog; discusses if low levels of chemicals migrating from food packaging are safe; introduces viewers to the concepts of non-monotonic dose response, endocrine disrupting chemicals, mixture toxicity, and timing of exposure

Scientists measure mixtures of EDCs from human placenta

Study by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) finds chemical mixture extracts from human placenta with endocrine-disrupting properties, confirming developmental exposure to EDCs in the womb; novel method can help identify the link between chemical exposures and harmful human health outcomes