Study by German authorities finds 32% of high production volume chemicals non-compliant with REACH safety data requirements; 31% compliant, rest uncertain; European Environmental Bureau suggests actions for improvement
EU’s Chemicals Strategy plans actions on FCMs
European Commission (EC) publishes Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability; plans to ban PFAS for all non-essential uses, move towards grouping approach for regulation of all chemicals; specific actions for food contact materials (FCM) include extending generic approach to risk management, identifying endocrine disruptors, considering cumulative effects of chemical mixtures
Member States support restriction of 4 phthalates
EU Member States support proposal to restrict DEHP, DBP, DIBP, BBP in consumer articles; restriction will not cover food contact materials
Public consultation on 4 phthalates’ Authorisation List entries
EU Commission to update Authorisation List entries for DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP to reflect endocrine disrupting properties; ECHA consults on uses no longer exempted from authorization, such as FCMs, until August 6, 2018
EFSA phthalates working group: 2nd meeting
EFSA’s CEP Panel working group on phthalates reassesses safety of DBP, BBP and DEHP for food contact plastics; updated meeting minutes now available online
Migration of substances of very high concern
New scientific study by the FPF summarizes use and migration of substances of very high concern in food contact materials; 5 out of 10 SVHCs regularly detected to migrate in food
Efficiency of ‘PET-eating’ enzyme can be improved
Scientists modify PET-degrading bacterial enzyme to make it more efficient; enzyme also supports PEF degradation; further improvement required to allow industrial application in plastics recycling
Phthalates in dairy farm equipment
New report by Coalition for Safer Food Processing & Packaging finds continued use of phthalates in plastic and rubber equipment for dairy farming; potential source of phthalates in dairy products such as milk and cheese
EFSA working group on phthalates: 3rd meeting
EFSA’s CEF Panel working group on phthalates reassesses safety of DBP, BBP and DEHP for food contact plastics; updated meeting minutes now available online
BPA substitutes and chromosomal abnormalities
Mice exposed to low doses of BPA, BPS, diphenyl sulfone, BPF, BPAF exhibit chromosomal abnormalities that persist for several generations, according to new study in Current Biology