Scientific Committee’s Scientific Opinion fails to deliver on European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) commitment to scientific excellence and transparency; Food Packaging Forum (FPF) sends open letter to EFSA’s leadership urging them to address severe shortcomings in content and process; adequate scientific appraisal of non-monotonic dose response (NMDR) is critical for chemical risk assessment that protects public health
January 27, 2021
Scientists measure mixtures of EDCs from human placenta
Study by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) finds chemical mixture extracts from human placenta with endocrine-disrupting properties, confirming developmental exposure to EDCs in the womb; novel method can help identify the link between chemical exposures and harmful human health outcomes
January 25, 2021
GenX: developmental toxicant in rats
Study finds developmental toxicity in rats for hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX); exposure results in reduced pup birth weights, increased pup liver weight, and reduced neonatal survival; similar adverse effects to other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; knowledge gaps regarding clearance rate and human half-life
December 15, 2020
Using ToxCast data to assess food chemicals
Scientists explore the utility of-throughput screening data for hazard assessment and toxicological read-across of food-relevant chemicals; observe some biological targets to lack validated toxicity associations; demonstrate application in identifying out-of-domain compounds
November 30, 2020
FPF publishes food contact chemicals database
Researchers led by the Food Packaging Forum (FPF) publish new database identifying over 12,200 distinct chemicals that could be used in manufacture of food contact materials and articles; 29% lacking openly accessible toxicity data; 608 identified as most hazardous, prioritized for substitution; published study and database freely accessible
November 10, 2020
JRC proposes improved testing strategies
EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes study identifying chemical testing strategies that require fewer tests, reduce need for animal testing; based on data on biocide and plant protection products, could be expanded for use across other product types
October 28, 2020
‘The trouble with plastics’
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Birth Defects Research presents a collection of articles on plastics’ effects on human health, with a particular focus on early development
October 26, 2020
Clarifications to REACH data requirements
European Commission publishes draft amendment to REACH text dealing with information requirements for chemicals dossiers; feedback accepted until November 16, 2020
October 16, 2020
Recent studies on EDCs and cardiovascular health
Emerging evidence and systematic analyses highlight adverse effects of bisphenols and phthalates on cardiovascular health; meta-analysis of US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2003-2016 finds significant association of cardiovascular disease with bisphenol A; prenatal exposure particularly detrimental; calls for more mechanistic research, evaluation of cardiovascular safety profiles for substitution chemicals
September 24, 2020
New York Times investigates PFAS and pregnancy
Publishes second article in three-part series on hazardous chemical exposure at home; provides overview of research on toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to developing fetuses, young children; profiles US families with high PFAS concentrations in drinking water, efforts to restrict uses