European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) adds nine chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC); six have been listed for intentional use or measured in food contact articles; listing obligates producers and suppliers to provide safety information and to notify ECHA; candidate list now contains 233 substances
IARC: melamine possibly carcinogenic
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies melamine as possibly carcinogenic to humans
Health Effects and Sources of Melamine Exposure
Food Packaging Forum presentation during Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s webinar introduces melamine, its role in some food contact materials, and its associated hazards and legal requirements for use
Melamine
Melamine is used to make resins and tableware, amongst other applications. The dossier summarizes applications, risks and regulations of the substance.
Health Effects and Sources of Melamine Exposure
BfR statement on bamboo cups and tableware
German institute for risk assessment publishes position statement on melamine-formaldehyde resins, including tableware made with bamboo fibers; warns consumers against using such tableware with hot liquids; recommends lowering specific migration limit of formaldehyde in EU regulation from 15 to 6 mg/kg
Migration from bamboo-containing plastic FCMs
Scientists detect dozens of volatile and non-volatile substances migrating from ‘bamboo’ food packaging; melamine migration exceeding specific migration limit; conclude bamboo-melamine articles ‘a risk to consumer’s health,’ their promotion as biodegradable ‘a fraud to consumers’
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
Benelux demand market withdrawal of bamboo plastics
Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands (Benelux) publish joint letter calling for market withdrawal of ‘bamboo melamine plastics’; reminds readers that products do not comply with article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; Benelux national authorities plan to reinforce market controls from second quarter of 2021, pursue violators
FPF Workshop 2020: Hazardous chemicals in FCMs
Stefan Merkel presents recent work of German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR); Lisa Zimmermann discusses bioassay-based toxicity assessment of conventional plastics, bioplastics, and plant-based materials; Andrew Turner emphasizes presence of toxic brominated flame retardants in recycled plastics, uses of hazardous heavy metals in colored decorations applied to glass articles