Earth Action (EA) publishes report quantifying plastic additives leaking into the environment; estimates more than 6,000,000 tons of additives leak into the environment annually by applying a mathematical modeling approach; briefing paper assesses environmental and human health impacts of plastic additives and discusses ways forward
EFSA: Safety of 'Alimpet' and 'Texplast' processes
EFSA’s CEP Panel considers PET recycled through ‘Alimpet’ or ‘Texplast’ processes to be safe for use in food contact applications not involving heating in microwave or conventional ovens
Proceedings of EFSA conference 2018
Proceedings of European Food Safety Authority’s 3rd scientific conference held in September 2018 now published
Workshop on participation in risk assessment
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and Paris Risk Group host workshop on pros and cons of participatory approaches in risk assessment; registration open until May 25, 2016
Oligomers – presence in FCMs and food, toxicity, challenges
Review summarizes analysis and presence of oligomers in food contact materials (FCMs) made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polystyrene (PS) including challenges; study suggests ionic strength may influence migration of polyamide (PA) oligomers from PA FCMs
European Plastics Pact launched
Public-private partnership sets targets for signatories by 2025; includes designing all packaging to be re-useable or at least recyclable, reducing virgin plastics by 20%, increasing recycling by 25%, having 30% recycled content
Call for BPA ban in food packaging in Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia consumer protection minister demands BPA ban in FCMs and other consumer products
BPA and childhood obesity
New study finds association between prenatal BPA exposure and body fat outcomes in New York City children
Polystyrene microplastic and intestinal tissue
Experimental study examined uptake and effects of polystyrene microplastic on human intestinal cells and on mice; finds no relevant acute health risks to mammals
Mineral oils: Toxicity, exposure possibly underestimated
Scientific study compares accumulation of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) in rats to humans; findings imply that current acceptable daily intake for MOSH may be set too high and current human exposure is underestimated