EFSA invites BPA stakeholders for discussion of scientific opinions on risk assessment of BPA; stakeholders from national agencies, NGOs, industry, academia comment
Scientists detect microplastics in amniotic fluid, effects on testicular aging
Two studies investigate microplastic presence or effects in female and male reproductive organs; small cohort study finds low number of microplastics to be present in human amniotic fluid besides the placenta; in vitro and mice in vivo study reports microplastics induce premature testicular aging and identifies underlying pathways
COVID-19 challenging EPR and single-use legislation
Pandemic causing delays in advancing extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation across US states; increased demand for single-use packaging and plastic bags in Thailand hinders earlier efforts
Opinion: EU nano-observatory not ideal
European Trade Union Institute considers EU nanomaterial observatory insufficient monitoring tool, makes recommendations for improvement
Benchmarking in vitro toxicity of plastics
Scientists investigate in vitro toxicity and chemical composition of plastic consumer products made of different polymers; high baseline toxicity of polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics; food contact status does not necessarily imply lower toxicity
Plastic recycling: Future scenarios and behavioral influences
Five articles discuss future recycling and/or consumer waste sorting; outline future recycling technologies and recycled plastic applications; identify gaps between recycling technologies and targets of multi-material multilayer plastic packaging; find consumers wrongly dispose bioplastics and that packaging design affects sorting behavior; show single-use bag bans able to increase recycling contamination
Studies report on oligomer migration from food packaging
Scientists perform migration experiments for oligomer analysis; one study detects eight chemicals including six non-intentionally added oligomers to migrate from multilayer biodegradable teacups; second study reports on oligomer migration from polycarbonate tableware as ‘hidden source’ of bisphenol A (BPA)
China calls for comments on food contact substances
China’s National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment solicits comments on new food contact substances and resins, expanded uses
European Parliament adopts amended Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
Includes ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenol A in food packaging and general packaging reduction targets; decreases reuse obligations
EFSA determines titanium dioxide not safe as food additive
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) releases new assessment of titanium dioxide as a food additive, could not rule out genotoxicity; change in opinion from last assessment in 2016; announcement does not affect food contact materials