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Studying phthalates: Linkage with dietary habits and molecular changes

Biomonitoring finds regular takeaway food consumption increases phthalate exposure; intervention study links plastic packaged hot soup consumption with increased phthalate exposure and changes in mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines; structural analysis suggests non-phthalate alternative plasticizers have potential for thyroid hormone disruption

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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

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FPF submits feedback on packaging and packaging waste regulation

Food Packaging Forum (FPF) responds to European Commission’s call for feedback on the proposed packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); FPF highlights aspects of food packaging and chemical safety that should be included in future versions; primarily (i) considering presence of hazardous chemicals in packaging materials meant to be recycled or reused, (ii) clearly defining compostable packaging and guaranteeing safety, and (iii) defining inertness

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UNEP: Over 3000 chemicals of concern in plastics

Technical report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informs about “chemical-related issues of plastic pollution and options to address them”; finds 13,000 chemicals present in plastic; 7,000 have hazard data of which 3,200 are chemicals of concern; outlines chemical groups, use sectors of concern, human and ecosystem exposure, gaps and improvement options including substitution and waste management in a circular economy