Six urgent questions to address PFAS

Environmental Science and Technology feature article discusses six urgent questions to be answered to address worldwide per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances’ (PFAS) contamination and health impacts; describes importance, barriers, and ways forward for each question; emphasizes the need for cooperation, increased transparency, consideration of environmental equity; US FDA’s budget request calls for increased investment in addressing PFAS

Journal provides current overview of PFAS migration into food

Review highlights that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are still present in several widely-used food contact articles; PFAS migration increases with decreasing pH, increasing fat content and salt concentration of the food, the temperature, and number of repeated uses

Uptake and internal distribution of PFAS

Scientists develop radiolabeling method to trace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) uptake and distribution in mice; observe uptake in all organs, transport from mother to fetus across placenta; highest uptake in liver after tail vein administration, in lungs after oral gavage

PFAS in paper packaging and factors influencing its migration

Scientists screen PFAS in paper and board packaging, observe decreasing trend in European samples; find opposite migratory behavior of short and long chain PFAS into ethanolic food simulants, highlight significant underestimation of migration to foodstuffs when using Tenax® food simulant

Maine bill on phthalates and PFAS

U.S. State of Maine passes legislation aiming to eliminate phthalates and PFAS from food packaging from 2020, establish a system to assess further substances of concern in FCMs

Health effects of PFAS exposure

Epidemiologists examine possible associations between PFAS exposure and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, fetal and child development

EFSA opinion on PFOA and PFOS in food

EFSA scientific opinion suggests revision of tolerable intake values for two perfluoroalkyl substances

New report on PFASs in FCMs

Study by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and Toxic-Free Future shows some U.S. paper food packaging items likely contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; call on retailers and governments to take actions

Restriction of 6 PFASs progresses

ECHA’s risk assessment and socio-economic committees agree with restriction proposal for 6 per- and polyfluorinated substances; CLP classifications adopted for four other FCM-relevant substances

Webinar on PFASs in food packaging

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and Toxic-Free Future present new report on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in U.S. food contact materials on December 11, 2018; registration for webinar now open