US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) files for judgment in its favor in ongoing court case with group of non-governmental organizations, argues perchlorate will not enter food supply at dangerous levels through dry food packaging
European Commission reports on public consultation about FCM revision
European Commission (EC) publishes final report on consultation period concerning FCM policy revision; results feature citizens’ and stakeholder’s opinions on extent of FCM policy; Commission adoption planned for second quarter of 2023
Food packaging and chemical safety: What does the future hold?
The Food Packaging Forum’s third annual workshop took a look at scientific trends and expected developments in the area of food contact materials and chemical safety. Participants and speakers from regulatory authorities, industry, and academia, as well as from public interest groups, gathered to discuss the issue of chemical migration from food contact materials and impact on health. We addressed today’s perspectives, looked at historical developments in analytical chemistry and chemical risk assessment, and shared insights on scientific challenges and […]
Opinions: Toxic chemicals in everyday products
Article in New York Times outlines the issue of exposure to toxic chemicals from common products and the consequences for human health
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
U.S. NGO requests ‘moratorium’ on new PFAS
U.S. NGO Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) calls on Congress to halt the introduction of new per- and polyfluoalkyl substances on the market until more is known about their toxicity and persistence; calls for more studies of cancer risks
WHO report on microplastics in drinking water
Microplastics do not currently pose human health risk in drinking water according to World Health Organization; studies however seen as limited and often unreliable; calls for standardization of analysis methods and minimization of plastic pollution
JRC: Report 2016 on alternatives to animal testing
European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) publishes 2016 status report providing an update on its activities
Hazard- vs. risk-based chemicals management
Hazard-based approaches are criticized and risk-based management of chemicals is pushed for in Europe; doing so would weaken the protection of public health, International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) explains
Behavioral studies shed light on how to increase reuse, recycling, and sustainable packaging use
Two scientific studies explore recycling and reuse behavior and options for improvement; report that high level of perceived policy effectiveness can favor residents’ recycling behavior; combine environmental impacts assessment with behavioral science to determine best packaging reuse option and system; third study evaluates consumers’ response to sustainable packaging when benefit trade-offs are involved