Special issue of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology features 18 articles discussing alternative (non-animal) methods for assessing chemicals’ potential to harm neurodevelopment in children
India bans PET for certain pharmaceuticals
India phases out PET and other plastic bottles as packaging for medicinal products for pediatric, geriatric use and for use by women in the reproductive age
Parabens increase BPA exposure
Parabens inhibit several biotransformation enzymes involved in steroid hormone metabolism and chemical detoxification; study in mice shows that co-exposure with butyl paraben results in elevated internal levels of estradiol and BPA
Canada identifies four parabens for toxic substances list
Government publishes draft screening assessment of 7 parabens, identifies 4 to present danger to human health or environment at current levels of exposure; proposed risk management published; findings open for public comment until May 13, 2020
IARC replies to critiques
IARC scientists reply to critical commentary; point out the importance of hazard classification as an initial step in the risk assessment process, highlight the role of epidemiological evidence
New PLA production technology
Dutch scientists develop technology to make production of bioplastic PLA faster and cheaper
Review of technologies for PHA production
Scientists review three main routes for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production, including microbiological, enzymatic, chemical; microbiological and chemical routes most favorable for scaling-up; remaining high costs compared to fossil-based plastics necessitate search for cheaper feedstocks, optimization of production efficiencies
BPA absorption in the mouth
Scientists compare internal levels and metabolism of BPA after gavage or diet administration; demonstrate significant buccal absorption of BPA from solid foods
FCM analysis at BioDetectors conference 2018
11th BioDetectors conference addresses use of cell-based bioassays in food contact material safety analysis
Scientists use in silico-based models to prioritize food contact chemicals
Two studies applied computational methods to screen food contact chemicals (FCCs) for carcinogenic properties or interaction with 31 nuclear receptors; one identifies 44 potential carcinogens among 1623 assessed FCCs; other finds more than half of 8091 screened FCCs with high binding affinity for several nuclear receptors