On April 15, 2021, the French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) released a press statement on a new approach that could help the country accelerate the identification process of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) under its second national endocrine disruptor strategy (FPF reported).
Based on comparing and evaluating existing lists of EDCs, ANSES compiled its own list of priority substances. This list comprises 906 chemicals that experts from ANSES evaluated using a novel appraisal method that assessed whether the substances are “known, presumed or suspected endocrine disruptors.” With this approach, the experts aimed to develop a “faster and more efficient” process to identify endocrine disruptors.
Based on this method, ANSES identified 16 priority substances to be submitted for consultation to the ANSES Thematic Steering Committee on Endocrine Disruptors. The submitted comments will contribute to the formulation of recommendations on if and how to include these chemicals for assessment under France’s Second National Endocrine Disruptor Strategy (SNPE 2).
Since its launch in 2019, work within this strategy aims to reduce the exposure of the population and the environment to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Other actions include, among others, a planned mandatory declaration label on products that are suspected of containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) (FPF reported).
Priority substances identified by ANSES that are also used in food contact materials, according to FPF’s FCCdb database, are listed below:
- 2,2′,2”‐ nitrilotriethanol (CAS 102-71-6)
- melamine (CAS 100-41-4)
- tetrachloroethylene (CAS 127-18-4)
- silicic acid, sodium salt (CAS 1344-09-8)
- zinc di(acetate) (CAS 557-34-6)
- sodium fluoride (CAS 7681-49-4)
- manganese dichloride (CAS 7773-01-5)
- biphenyl-4,4′-diol (CAS 92-88-6)
Read More
ANSES (April 15, 2021). “Accelerating the assessment of endocrine disruptors.”
Emma Davies (April 22, 2021). “France identifies priority EDCs for evaluation under second national strategy.” Chemical Watch
References
ANSES (April 2021). “Élaboration d’une liste de substances chimiques d’intérêt en raison de leur activité endocrine potentielle Méthode d’identification et stratégie de priorisation pour l’évaluation.” (pdf) (in French)
ANSES (April 2021). “Élaboration d’une méthodologie d’évaluation du caractère perturbateur endocrinien des substances chimiques.” (pdf) (in French)
