News Article

Review summarizes microplastic exposures to humans

Peer-reviewed article summarizes occurrence, source, and characterization of microplastics in food and beverages; reports highly variable concentrations within and between food categories; identifies water bodies, packaging, and food handling as source of microplastic contamination

News Article

New Australian lab to measure micro- and nanoplastics in humans

University of Queensland opens one of the world’s first plastics contamination-controlled labs jointly with Minderoo Foundation; studies micro- and nanoplastics in human blood and tissue samples; steel walls, cotton lab coats, and extensive testing of all construction materials limits environmental plastic contamination

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EU publishes PFOA regulation

European Commission regulation restricts use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds as a persistent organic pollutants; sets maximum concentration of 0.025 mg/kg for PFOA and salts, 1 mg/kg for related compounds; series of exemptions also in place

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Scientists investigate chemicals in plant-based materials

Review summarizes chemicals present in and migrating from food contact articles made with wood, bamboo, and other plant-based materials; researchers identify and quantify 25 non-volatile compounds from bamboo, palm leaf, wood and wheat pulp dishes; tentatively identify 115 non-volatile chemicals in extracts from six plant fiber/plastic composites; detect phthalates in Brazilian dry foods in cellulose-based packaging

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Critical review discusses biobased plastics

Article evaluates pros, cons, and improvement potential of biobased polymers looking at production, end-of-life, environmental, and toxicological impacts; regards bioplastics as promising alternative but not without issues; emphasizes importance of considering economic, social, environmental, and legislative issues when scaling up biobased plastics

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PFAS research snapshot Q4 2023: presence, migration, health concerns, and regrettable substitution

Scientists detect two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in plastic food storage bags; study assesses PFAS in 119 single-use food packaging and tableware samples from around the world and detectes PFAS in 54%; two reviews raise awareness of PFAS impact on human liver health and safety issues connected with the PFAS substitutes – polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs); scientist calls for more research to assess combined environmental effect of microplastics and PFAS

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Scientists find most silicon rubber kitchenwares are endocrine disrupting

Study determines toxicity and composition of 42 silicon rubber food contact articles; finds 84% of silicon kitchenware to induce endocrine activity; review gives update on the known endocrine disruptors phthalates and bisphenols with focus on detection methods and addressing regulatory concerns; study develops and applies method for phthalate determination in vegetable oils