Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden officially submit a restriction proposal for all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the EU; European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will publish the documents online on February 7, 2023
January 17, 2023
Microplastics impacts on the reproductive system and offspring
Scientists report human-relevant polystyrene (PS) microplastic concentrations change mice placental metabolism; show nanoplastics have variable effects on placental enzymes using simulations; find pre- and postnatal PS microplastic exposure affects male mice testis development and fertility; recommend future research to analyze multigenerational effects
January 12, 2023
New EU rules on FCMs must be science based, simpler, and enforced
Food Packaging Forum comments on European Commission’s public consultation on its revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCMs); stresses the importance of revising the definition of safety and aligning FCM regulations with EU strategies on chemical sustainability and circular economy
January 11, 2023
Plastic recycling: company commitments and chemical safety challenges
Scientists report most large companies commit to reducing plastic pollution but focus on recycling; extrusion of recycled materials and legacy compounds in recycled materials as safety challenge; some substances increase others decrease with the increase in recycled content in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles; tentatively identify 212 volatile chemicals in 57 different recycled PET flakes available in China; present migration model to characterize the exposure and risk of PET oligomers
January 3, 2023
Opportunities for India to improve EDC management
Article assesses India’s current approach to managing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs); identifies EDC actions as fragmented and far behind developed countries; proposes actions to move ahead by adopting new modern regulatory framework for managing EDCs, enhancing monitoring, raising awareness, employing public-private partnership programs
December 28, 2022
Independent panel recommends considerable changes to US FDA
Reagan-Udall Foundation publishes independent evaluation of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) human foods program; provides 32 recommendations concerning agency culture, structure, resources, and authorities
December 23, 2022
Ways forward to improve polymer assessment and management
Critical review evaluates regulatory approaches of polymer assessment and management; identifies critical knowledge gaps by comparison with recent scientific findings; proposes policy options for safe and sustainable polymer use; suggest more transparency, standardized testing procedures, and improved understanding of environmental fate and hazards
December 22, 2022
Proposed CLP revision aims to increase transparency of chemical supply chain
European Commission publishes proposal to amend Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP); aims to define identification criteria of chemical health hazards, communication of those hazards, and enforcement
December 21, 2022
Micro- and nanoplastics are released from different food contact articles
Researchers report cooking in non-stick Teflon cookware may lead to the release of thousands of micro- and nanoplastics; find 3 to 43 plastic particles prone to be released from Chinese polypropylene takeaway containers; detect around 1,500 microplastics/liter in Iranian bottled water; review points out that micro- and nanoplastic detection methods in food need validation and standardization
December 14, 2022
Widespread presence of organophosphate esters in plastic and paper FCMs
Scientists perform suspect and non-target analysis of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in 100 food contact materials (FCMs) in Southern China; identify 28 OPEs of which 18 were identified for the first time; find organophosphate antioxidants as one OPE source
