Non-governmental organizations call for improved and mandatory sharing of chemical and safety data across packaging supply chain; industry associations request clear regulations, more harmonization of EU rules
Exposures and Latent Disease Risk: Linking Exposures to Diseases with Long Latency Periods
Stakeholders comment on farm to fork strategy
MEPs criticize delay in European EDC policy
Members of European Parliament send letter criticizing slow advances on EDCs policy to European Commission president Barroso
Several studies determine chemical migration from food packaging
Researchers from several European and Chinese institutions develop methods to explore chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs); report styrene migration from different polystyrene FCMs into several food matrices; detect photoinitiators in paper FCMs and chlorinated paraffins in green tea and its packaging; find irradiation treatment of metalized polypropylene to reduce migration of tested chemicals
ECHA proposes not approving 4 silver compounds in FCMs
European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) announces opinion not approving silver compounds for application in food contact materials (FCMs); includes silver zinc zeolite, silver zeolite, silver copper zeolite, silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate; finds risk unacceptable for human health; next meeting scheduled in June 2021
NGO coalitions call for EU strategy
EDC Free Europe and Green10 urge the EU Commission to develop EU strategy for a non-toxic environment, keep topic as priority despite delays
Recovered Paper FCM: BPS, BPA, Pergafast 201, PFAS
IPEN webinar discusses interdisciplinary issues underlying microplastic pollution
International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN) webinar explores issues beyond microplastic pollution into the relationship between the plastics supply chain, hazardous chemicals, and policy; speaker argues we need accurate descriptors of the problems around plastics if we are to create solutions; recording available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Russian
Half of tested dollar store products contain chemicals of concern
The Ecology Center and the Campaign for Healthier Solutions find 53% of 226 tested products from US and Canadian dollar stores contain one or more chemicals of concern; PFAS in 100% of microwave popcorn, some pans and cookware; banned phthalates in PVC products