Wide range of hazardous chemicals being evaluated across EU programs for industrial chemicals are also potentially used in food contact materials (FCM); analysis by the Food Packaging Forum reviews recently added chemicals, urges prioritizing known hazardous chemicals in FCMs
June 19, 2020
Framework developed to support safe-by-design nanomaterials
Scientists create set of 17 questions to help innovators consider potential risks to human health posed by nano-sized products or materials during the innovation process, aiming to guide development and identify safety issues already at early design stages
May 29, 2020
EFSA assessment of substance for food preparation surfaces
Panel publishes safety assessment of ‘phosphoric acid, mixed esters with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate’; finds no safety concern when used as co-monomer up to set concentration, often used in manufacture of kitchen sinks and countertops
May 18, 2020
EFSA safety assessment of PVC additive
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel publishes safety assessment of di(m-2,20,200-nitrilotris(ethanol)-diperchlorato)dinatrium as a thermal stabilizer additive up 0.15% by weight in rigid reusable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water bottles
May 18, 2020
EFSA working group updates in April 2020
Minutes from recent meetings of the EFSA CEP panel and working groups on BPA, FCMs, and recycling plastics published
May 13, 2020
Online colloquium on IATA for toxicology assessment
Society of Toxicology (SOT) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to co-host colloquium on Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for regulatory toxicology assessment on May 28, 2020; event will be livestreamed, registration open
May 8, 2020
ChemSec identifies needs for upcoming EU chemical strategy
Non-governmental organization emphasizes five important aspects for the European Commission to consider when developing chemical strategy; includes creating industry incentives, focusing on hazards from intrinsic chemical properties, supply chain transparency, and closing regulatory gaps
April 29, 2020
Workshop discusses developments in read-across
Journal article presents summary of presentations and discussions from European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (Ecetoc) workshop; finds new approach methodologies useful for read-across in chemical safety assessments, identifies areas for improvement
April 21, 2020
US EPA scope documents for phthalate risk evaluations
Documents available for all 20 of the identified high-priority substances for risk evaluation under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), includes 5 phthalates relevant for food contact materials; 45-day comment period ends for first round of 13 published documents on May 26, 2020
April 3, 2020
EU discusses application of mixture assessment factor
Swedish and Dutch governments hold workshop investigating application of a mixture assessment factor for risk assessment under REACH legislation; ask EU member states for feedback, best procedure for way forward
