Medical professionals elaborate on health hazards connected with plastic production, use, and waste; give options to reduce impacts on humans and the planet; scientists summarize current knowledge on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurrence and migration from food packaging and microplastics
Chipotle restaurants defend packaging
U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle issues statement following study finding per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in its biodegradable packaging; stricter total fluorine limits set for compostability certificate
Opinion: Plastic is food poisoning
Huffington Post publishes article calling plastic βfood poisoningβ, comments on evidence of estrogenic activity of plastic food contact materials
Risk and hazard are not the same
In the context of chemicals the terms βriskβ and βhazardβ have very different meanings; blog post explains
Pittsfield discusses polystyrene ban
The U.S. city Pittsfield may ban polystyrene food packaging due to health and environmental concerns
Health effects of PFAS exposure
Epidemiologists examine possible associations between PFAS exposure and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, fetal and child development
Researchers associate diet and microplastics with EDC exposure
Epidemiological studies investigate association between diet and endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure; find recommended healthy diets not protective against EDC exposure; report association of plastic-free diet with reduced urinary bisphenol A (BPA) in children; researchers performing bioaccessibility tests using gut fluids find release of phthalates and BPA from microplastics may pose human health risk
Researchers detect microplastics in human semen and heart
Four recent studies assess microplastics: in human semen, heart, from baby food containers, and suitability of in vitro models to investigate human health effects; find microplastics in six out of ten semen samples, find impacts on semen quality; samples from cardiac surgery patients contain microplastics in heart and surrounding tissue; billions of nano- and microplastics released from plastic baby food containers; outline challenges and recommendation of studying plastic particles in vitro
BfR: More research and data on microplastics needed
German risk assessment institute responds to Austrian stool study in communication addressing health risks from ingesting microplastics
Japan identifies priority assessment substances
Ministries in Japan announce 15 new substances as priority assessment substances, 6 of which known to be used in food contact materials; requires annual reporting for import and manufacture