International retailer issues recall for all “Troligtvis” travel mugs made in India; recent testing finds levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that exceed company’s set limits; phthalates have been prohibited in all IKEA food contact articles for years
New study identifies candidates for hormonal activity in bottled waters
Antiestrogenic substance di(2-ethylhexyl) fumarate identified in retail samples, origin of contamination remains unclear
UNEP report assesses plastic packaging labels
Joint report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) maps and assesses global labeling schemes and claims related to recycling and disposal of plastic packaging; recommends global harmonization of definitions, better consideration of actual local conditions, restriction of chasing arrows symbol, labels being verified with enforcement of proper use
Toxic chemicals in recycled materials
NGOs urge European Commission to ban recycling of materials containing toxic flame retardant DecaBDE, a chemical previously found in recycled plastic FCMs
Chicago taxes paper and plastic bags
City of Chicago introduced tax on paper and plastic checkout bags in February 2017; tax collections and research show shoppers are using less bags, indicating behavioral change
Estrogenic activity of BPA-free products
New study investigates estrogenic activity of BPA-free polycarbonate plastics used in food contact
Minnesota bans products containing triclosan for state government
Minnesota stops buying consumer products containing triclosan over safety concerns
Deadline for Indian PET bottle ban extended
Consumers and retailers in Indian state Maharashtra must dispose of banned plastic items such as PET bottles smaller than 0.5 L until June 23, 2018
New FPF report: Flame retardants detected in FCMs
Czech researchers find brominated flame retardants in food contact materials due to illicit recycling practices
New study tests endocrine disrupting properties of Tritan™
New plastic Tritan™ shown to contain traces of BPA and benzylbutyl phthalate, no endocrine disrupting effects found for total migrate