U.S. EPA releases draft toxicity assessments for fluorinated substances ‘GenX chemicals’ and PFBS used as replacements for PFOA and PFOS; public comments accepted for 60 days after publication in Federal Register
Barrier films to prevent migration of mineral oils from FCMs
German company develops barrier films to prevent migration of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) into food
New study: Chronic diseases caused by chemical exposures in great-grandmothers
Epigenetic mechanisms thought to be responsible for health effects in rat offspring after great-grandmothers were exposed to a chemical mixture during pregnancy
Predicting exposure to food contact chemicals
U.S. EPA scientists develop high-throughput computational models for predicting dietary exposure to chemicals from food packaging; exposure from food contact materials found to contribute significantly to overall exposures
Mineral oils in chocolate Santas
Foodwatch study finds typical Christmas chocolates and sweets to contain mineral oil residues; demands recall of affected products
Ames test insufficient for genotoxicity of FCMs
Scientists deem Ames test unsuitable as standalone method to evaluate genotoxicity of FCM migrates, suggest complementing it with chemical information
Mapping microplastics in the male reproductive system
Study provides an in-depth look at microplastics in the male reproductive system, analyzes human and mouse samples to chart concentrations and polymer types; finds microplastics in all human testes samples and majority of semen samples; larger plastic particles may get trapped in testis, leading to higher concentrations; identifies correlation between urbanization, home-cooked meals, and body scrub used to microplastics concentration
EU environment committee supports draft BPA regulation
EU Parliament’s Environment Committee votes in favor of EU Commission’s draft regulation on bisphenol A in food contact materials
BfR recommends lowering EU limits on heavy metals
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) publishes position statement on specific migration limits for lead, cadmium, and cobalt from ceramic food contact materials; derives recommended limits up to 400 times lower than values allowed by current directive
European Commission publishes bisphenol restriction proposal for FCMs
European Commission proposes ban on bisphenol A in food contact with a 36-month transition period for varnishes, coatings and professional production equipment, 18 months for most everything else; monitoring of unintentional BPA in recycled paper and board proposed to be left to business operators; submit comments until March 8, 2024