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JRC publishes case studies on single-use versus reusable packaging

European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies covering five single-use versus reusable packaging scenarios; incorporates 16 impacts; paper production practices and consumer behavior play significant role in final, single impact score; reuse tended to perform better in most scenarios, significantly so when comparing reusable glass bottles versus single-use glass

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East Asian nations update food packaging guidelines

South Korea updates Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages; releases 2021 Food and Drug Safety White Paper; China updates precision level on food packaging migration requirements; Taiwan to monitor the use of nitrogen in food packaging; Hong Kong statutory authority encourages stricter standards for silicone food contact articles

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Researchers detect microplastics in human semen and heart

Four recent studies assess microplastics: in human semen, heart, from baby food containers, and suitability of in vitro models to investigate human health effects; find microplastics in six out of ten semen samples, find impacts on semen quality; samples from cardiac surgery patients contain microplastics in heart and surrounding tissue; billions of nano- and microplastics released from plastic baby food containers; outline challenges and recommendation of studying plastic particles in vitro