Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication aims to increase agreement on approach and criteria for alternatives selection, set minimum requirements to determine safer substitutes; provides guidance on setting scope, using comparative hazard and exposure assessments, comparing trade-offs; applies framework in example case study
Food packaging in the circular economy: Overview of chemical safety aspects for commonly used materials
First annual EU forum on endocrine disruptors
Event brings together EU government agencies, research institutions, stakeholders to discuss endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs); Joint Research Centre (JRC) announces upcoming launch of stakeholder survey to inform ongoing fitness check of EU legislation
Report: how to transition from single use to reuse systems
Global Plastics Policy Centre assesses approaches to adopt reuse systems to combat plastic pollution; review contains 320 articles and papers and 55 expert interviews; defines four-phase roadmap for transition
PFAS-Tox Database launched
Collaborative group of universities and NGOs publishes PFAS-Tox Database; publicly available resource provides systematic evidence map covering 742 toxicity studies on 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); features dozens of studies on ‘purportedly safer’ PFAS; findings show adverse health impacts studied for wide range of PFAS; experts call for class-based management of all PFAS
NGO petitions German government to ban plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables
Civil society organization Foodwatch Germany is petitioning the German government to follow the lead of France and Spain in banning plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables; claims ban would save more than 60,000 tons of plastic waste; French ban went into effect January 2022, Spain plans ban for 2023, Foodwatch petitions Germany for ban by 2026
EFSA supports research on AOPs
Call for research proposals on adverse outcome pathways identifying new endocrine disrupting chemicals research, focus on uterine adenocarcinoma; proposals to be submitted to European Food Safety Authority until September 14, 2020
EC study guides creation of sustainable-by-design criteria
European Commission (EC) releases study mapping current sustainability initiatives and research applicable to creating sustainable-by-design criteria; particular focus on materials and chemicals, including a section assessing nanomaterials; finds few policies related to the production phase of a material’s life cycle; next steps are to identify specific aspects of sustainability to be covered in the criteria and how to evaluate them
FDA bans BPA from infant formula packaging
US FDA responds to petition by representative Markey, ban not based on safety concerns
CNN reports: BPA linked to higher mortality risk
Mainstream media reporting on new scientific study linking increased human exposure to bisphenol A with increased risk for premature death 10 years later in US adults; recommendations on how to avoid or reduce exposure to hazardous chemical