On February 27, 2023, in a call for establishment, several Japanese consumer organizations announced their intention to found a Network for Protecting Children from Toxic Chemical Substances.
In the call, the civil groups articulate their concerns about the increasing numbers of developmental disabilities and the progression of the reproductive crisis. “The common cause of these two anomalies is the involvement of man-made chemical substances that disrupt the transmission of information by hormones and neurotransmitters in the body – endocrine disrupting chemicals [EDCs] and toxic chemicals that disrupt the cranial nervous system.”
Due to a lack of governmental action and inspired by changes in EU regulations, the network aims to learn from other countries and scientists worldwide to “strongly urge the legislative and administrative authorities [in Japan] to implement regulations to avert a crisis for our children.” To achieve this, they will gather current information on research about harmful chemicals and possible countermeasures and hold domestic and international events to communicate this information.
A launch event will be held on April 22, 2023, featuring two commemorative lectures on the effects of endocrine disruptors on sexuality and reproduction and the effects of hazardous chemicals on children’s brains. Participation will be free according to the event announcement.
EDCs have been measured in a variety of food contact materials and articles. Commonly used chemicals with endocrine disrupting properties, such as bisphenol S (BPS, CAS 80-09-1) have been found to migrate into foodstuff from food packaging (FPF reported and here). Recent research on silicone kitchenware, including silicone baking molds, found the articles induce endocrine activity (FPF reported and here).
On March 31, 2023, the European Commission (EC) adopted an amendment to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling, and packaging (CLP) of substances and mixtures, which categorizes EDCs in more detail into (1) known or presumed endocrine disruptors and (2) suspected endocrine disruptors with the goal of allowing for better control of these substances on the EU market (FPF reported).
References
JEPA (February 27, 2023). “Call for establishment of “Network for Protecting Children from Hazardous Chemical Substances.” (In Japanese)
JEPA (March 23, 2023). “Network for Protecting Children from Hazardous Chemical Substances Inaugural General Meeting Commemorative Lecture.” (In Japanese)
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European Commission (March 31, 2023). “Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 of 19 December 2022 amending Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 as regards hazard classes and criteria for the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (Text with EEA relevance).”
BEUC (December 6, 2022). “Half baked: EU food packaging laws need a rethink to keep consumers safe.” (pdf)
