Defend Our Health reports production of PET plastic bottles contaminates air, drinking water, and foodstuffs; incineration and mechanical recycling releases potentially harmful chemicals into environment and recyclate; urges beverage companies to act
BPA-free thermoplastic resins can release estrogenic chemicals
BPA-free thermoplastic resins evaluated for estrogenic activity, four out of 14 resins released estrogenic chemicals
NHANES data to impact risk assessment decisions
Study evaluates use of NHANES biomarker data in chemical risk assessments, more than 100 articles that examine these data expected to be published each year
Novel photodegradable bioplastics
U.S. researchers synthesize renewable polymeric materials, light-induced degradation occurs in three hours
US considers new chemical recycling legislation
US states Oklahoma and Arizona pass bills to support chemical recycling facilities; at the same time, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers whether to include chemical recycling in national recycling calculations
Norway flags chemicals of concern
Norway adds phthalates, alkylphenols, siloxane to priority list of substances to be eliminated by 2020
Public consultation on 4 phthalates’ Authorisation List entries
EU Commission to update Authorisation List entries for DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP to reflect endocrine disrupting properties; ECHA consults on uses no longer exempted from authorization, such as FCMs, until August 6, 2018
Pre-packaged organic produce
Foodwatch discusses common practice of pre-packaging organic produce in plastic; presents alternatives such as stickers, printing, laser marking
NORMAN-SLE – Open and FAIR suspect screening
Scientists publish creation and implementation details of The NORMAN Suspect List Exchange (NORMAN‑SLE); now openly available as a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) chemical information resource; includes 99 suspect lists and 100,000 substances; new submissions are welcome
Replacing sticker labels with laser marks
Article in The Guardian informs about laser marking technique for fruit and vegetables; retail trial using technology as alternative to sticker labels on organic produce