On October 27, 2017, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) published a scientific opinion on the safety assessment of [3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyl]trimethoxy silane (from now referred to as the substance; CAS 2530-83-8). The substance is intended for use as a component for sizing glass fibers in the manufacture of glass-fiber-reinforced plastics. The finished food contact materials (FCMs) containing the substance are foreseen “for various scenarios of use,” such as long-term contact at room temperature (e.g. storage tanks) or short-term contact at higher temperatures (e.g. kitchen utensils). The final plastic will typically contain up to 0.2% of the substance, the CEF Panel informed. The substance was not detectable at 10 μg/kg fiber in extracts of treated fibers. Also, its hydrolysis product and oligomers were not detectable at 60 μg/kg fiber. Modeling according to the detection limits predicted maximum migrations of 0.05 μg/kg food and 0.15 μg/kg food for the substance and for the sum of the reaction products, respectively. The CEF Panel noted that the substance, as well as some of its reaction products containing the epoxy function, have genotoxic potential. However, “due to the very low exposure,” the CEF Panel concluded that the substance is safe “if used as a component of sizing agents to treat glass fibers imbedded into low diffusivity plastics (polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, thermoset polyesters and epoxy bisphenol vinylester) in contact with all foodstuffs.” The CEF Panel added that residues in the treated glass fibers should not be detectable at 10 μg/kg and 60 μg/kg for the substance and for each of the reaction products, respectively.
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CEF (October 27, 2017). “Safety assessment of the substance [3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyl]trimethoxy silane, for use in food contact materials.” EFSA Journal 15(10):5014.
Chemical Watch (October 31, 2017). “EFSA publishes safety assessment of food contact material plastic.“
