Danish consumer council tests drinking bottles made of plastic, metal, and glass; almost no chemicals of concern detected; 1 metal bottle released small amounts of aluminum, 1 plastic bottle showed small overall chemical migration into sour liquids
More retailers commit to safer chemicals
Non-profit organization Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families publishes second annual ranking of retailers’ safer chemicals programs; 10 out of 30 retailers take adequate action on toxic chemicals
Unwanted chemicals in canned tuna
Danish consumer council finds BADGE in metal packaging of tuna as well as plasticizers in the metal closure of a tuna glass jar; none of the tested packaging products contained BPA, BPF, or BPS; all tuna fish contained heavy metals, some contained BADGE and one ATBC
New book on environmental chemicals and child health
Experts on pediatrics and public health publish book on effects of ubiquitous chemical exposures on children’s health; focus on non-communicable diseases such as autism, ADHD, birth defects, cancer
Chemicals in plastics leaching into food
Article in Vox summarizes health concerns related to chemicals in plastic food packaging, discuss U.S. regulatory system, recommend actions to limit exposure
EDCs and reproductive aging
Animal study at National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark finds perinatal exposure to EDC mixtures leads to earlier reproductive aging in female rats
US EPA withdraws rules on “chemicals of concern list” and information disclosure
Huffington Post reports on withdrawal of two proposed rules by the US EPA, no longer necessary due to other efforts
UNEP: Over 3000 chemicals of concern in plastics
Technical report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informs about “chemical-related issues of plastic pollution and options to address them”; finds 13,000 chemicals present in plastic; 7,000 have hazard data of which 3,200 are chemicals of concern; outlines chemical groups, use sectors of concern, human and ecosystem exposure, gaps and improvement options including substitution and waste management in a circular economy
NGO letter to new EU Commission on chemical pollution
Group of 24 organizations call on incoming European Commission president to prioritize three zero pollution goals; highlight use of hazardous chemicals in food packaging, outdated EDC strategy, toxics in the circular economy
Scientific consensus statement on food contact chemicals and human health
Group of 33 international scientists publish peer-reviewed statement identifying seven specific areas for improvement, urge decision makers to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals present in food packaging and other contact food contact materials