European Commission’s working group on food contact materials (FCMs) shares updates and timelines on revision of the FCM regulation and BPA restriction; ongoing FCM sustainability study will be completed by February 2025; BPA restriction to be sent to Parliament and Council in mid-July
Greenpeace report on reusables
Greenpeace launches report on reusables, argues that ‘reusables are doable’ also during the pandemic, which thus should not be used as an excuse to stick with throwaway plastics
Scientists explore international bisphenol levels in packaging, food, and urine
Four studies investigate bisphenol (BP) migration from packaging, occurrence in foodstuff, and human urine; report BPA migration from Nigerian epoxy-coated cans into malt drinks; detect four bisphenols in packaged water and honey samples; find BPS in Canadian meat products from 2008 to 2020 suggesting BPS is not a recent phenomenon; measure higher bisphenol alternative levels in Belgian population in 2018 than 2015
ECHA adopts 11 opinions on biocides
ECHA’s Biocidal Products Committee agrees on 11 opinions for active substances in biocidal products; Registry on Biocidal Products updated
Key chemicals of concern in food packaging
Environmental Defense Fund publishes list of key chemicals of concern in food packaging and food handling equipment
BPS may be adipogenic
Scientists show BPS treatment, similar to BPA, results in increased lipid accumulation and higher expression of adipogenesis-related genes in primary preadipocytes
Microplastics can lead to behavioral changes in mice
Scientists find polystyrene microplastics reduce cell viability, translocate in the body, modify mice behavior, and change their liver and brain immune markers after short-term exposure; effects potentially age-dependent; two reviews summarize nano- and microplastic impacts on fertility and potential implications
Meetings on Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hosts meetings on the revised U.S. chemicals regulation on August 9-12, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
Danish EDC list to be updated
Danish Environmental Protection Agency announces plans to update its list of potential endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs)
Study detects DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in recycled PE, PP, and PS
119 plastic samples including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tested for mutagenicity; no DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in PET but in 51 of the other samples, making them unsafe, especially for food contact applications; recycling process identified as source; dataset of over 600 organic chemicals in recycled high-density PE pellets published