CARBIOS announces development of PET bottle made from ‘100% purified terephthalic acid’ obtained by ‘enzymatic biorecycling’ of mixed PET plastic waste, though challenges still remain to produce recycled resin fully comparable to virgin PET
Secret information on toxic substances revealed
Columbia University and City University of New York establish online database containing formerly secret documents about toxic substances such as lead and PCBs
GRAS determination for food additives under review
Washington Post questions whether the rising number of food additives is a consequence of waning FDA scrutiny
Conference on food contact materials
Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health organises food contact materials conference as part of its Presidency of the Council of the European Union; registration now open
Plastic packaging a challenge for brands
Wall Street Journal article discusses increasing costs related to plastic packaging; brands challenged to satisfy both investors and consumers
Test finds majority of FCAs contain DEHP
Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) finds endocrine disrupting chemical bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in 48 of 60 (80%) of tested paper/board food packaging items; detects also dibutylphthalat (DBP) and Bisphenol A (BPA)
Brazil working on industrial chemicals regulation
Brazilian Chemical Safety Agency prepares draft law to regulate industrial chemicals currently not covered by existing national policies
How chemical exposures affect great-grandchildren
Magazine reports on transgenerational epigenetic effects, reviews work of leading expert and implications for chemical risk assessment
High PFAS blood levels in German children
Biomonitoring study by German Environment Agency (UBA) measures 12 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood plasma of children and adolescents; finds highest average levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
EFSA CEP Panel updates from October 2022 to February 2023
Minutes available from recent meetings of the working groups on food contact materials (FCMs), bisphenol A (BPA), and recycling plastics, within the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel); no further meeting of the BPA working group planned; specific migration limit (SML) for styrene in FCMs upcoming