In an article published on October 19, 2016 the non-profit organization International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) informed that it is now possible to quickly highlight chemicals relevant for food contact materials (FCMs) among those listed in ChemSec’s Substitute It Now! (SIN) list. The assignment is based on information obtained from the FCM-relevant lists issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Currently, 62 FCM-relevant substances are on the SIN List.
The SIN List contains the chemicals identified by ChemSec as fulfilling the REACH-defined criteria for substances of very high concern (SVHCs), based on publicly available information from various databases and scientific studies. The SIN substances can be filtered for a number of uses, for example furniture, electronics, or paint & pigments, and now also FCMs.
ChemSec notes that obtaining the information on chemical applications is a challenging task. “As far as possible we would like to make life easier for the users [by adding more information on chemical uses in the SIN List], however, there is still, and in spite of REACH, a lack of transparency regarding how chemicals are used,” said ChemSec’s toxicologist Anna Lennquist.
With the current update, no new substances have been added to the SIN List.
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ChemSec (October 19, 2016). “The SIN List now highlights hazardous chemicals in food contact materials.”
