On July 29, 2021, the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) published six draft toxicological profiles for public comment. Four of the profiles review substances used in food contact applications: acetone (CAS 67-64-1), 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine (CAS 91-94-1), pentachlorophenol (CAS 87-86-5), and a report grouping 13 chlorophenols including 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (CAS 88-06-2). According to ATSDR, “each peer-reviewed Tox Profile reflects a comprehensive and extensive evaluation, summary, and interpretation of available toxicological and epidemiological information on a substance.” The profiles are designed to (i) inform public health professionals as they determine “whether the presence of a particular substance in the environment poses a potential threat to human health,” and (ii) highlight data gaps in substance exposure research.
The substances 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine, pentachlorophenol, and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol are all listed in the Food Packaging Forum’s Food Contact Chemicals database (FCCdb) as priority hazardous substances due to their inclusion in California’s Proposition 65 (FPF reported, also here and here) and the globally harmonized system for classification and labeling of chemicals as an environmental or human health hazard. Acetone is included in the FCCdb as a substance of potential concern due to its status as a putative endocrine disrupting chemical.
The ATSDR is accepting comments on the draft profiles until October 27, 2021.
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ATSDR (July 29, 2021). “Toxicological Profiles.”
