FDA study does not find low dose effects of BPA, other scientist criticize study as flawed
FPF Webinar: Brand owners tackle chemicals of concern
Register now for the Food Packaging Forum’s webinar on brand owners’ list of best practices regarding chemicals of concern in food packaging, to be held on June 11, 2018
ECHA recognizes PFBS as substance of very high concern
European member states agree to recognize perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC); cite equivalent concern to carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic substances, high mobility in environment
Scientists warn over-production of chemicals altering planetary systems
Peer-reviewed study finds pollution from synthetic chemical production and plastics is now altering planetary systems vital to human survival; recommends implementing cap on chemical production and release similar to greenhouse gases
Cost of EU chemicals regulation
European Commission publishes study assessing the cost of regulation on EU’s chemical industry; CHEM Trust and Cefic release commentaries
China developing or updating many food safety standards in 2024
China’s National Health Commission publishes new standard for food contact adhesives, effective February 2025; also publishes food safety standards development plan for 2024 including three pertaining to food contact chemical migration; evaluation of food contact plastics recycling may also come this year
Guide for FCM regulation in the UK
UK’s Food Standards Agency releases food contact materials (FCM) authorization guide; no reauthorization needed for plastic or regenerated cellulose film additives authorized in the EU before January 1, 2021; application process for new substances will take up to 15 months; Northern Ireland will remain under EU rules
Systematic review finds evidence “robust” that BPA reduces semen quality
Scientists review the association between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and declines in semen quality based on animal and epidemiological studies; assess weight of evidence of associations and estimate BPA reference dose of 0.003 µg/kg/d for male reproductive health for use in mixture risk assessments
How to regulate polymers?
Chemical Watch commentary addresses the nature of polymerization reactions, provides technical background information explaining the challenges in the registration of polymers under REACH
FPF comments on EFSA’s phthalates prioritization strategy
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) finds that the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) planned approach lacks clear recommendation for removing known hazardous chemicals from food contact materials; prioritization of food contact chemicals of concern should be based on hazard properties in alignment with the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability