Notification of SVHCs to be required under EU waste directive
Amendment to EU waste framework directive foresees obligation for suppliers to notify ECHA of SVHCs present in articles, aims to create transparent and non-toxic material cycles for circular economy
Synergistic interaction in real-life mixtures might not be so rare, scientist finds
“How frequent is rare?” researcher asks, emphasizes that based on current knowledge it is “premature” to neglect chemical synergism in real-life mixtures due to being “rare” and limit focus to additive behavior of chemicals; calls for further research and considering synergism in debates on mixtures risk assessment
Proposal to allow easier removal of US FDA notifications
Amendment to current regulations would allow US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw food contact notifications (FCNs) for reasons other than safety; creates pathway for companies to de-list substances they no longer manufacture
Effects of non-persistent chemicals on human sex selection
Paternal BPA and select phthalate metabolites associated with an excess of female births, contrary shown for maternal preconception exposure
Revised EDC criteria not adequate, NGOs say
Non-profit organization ChemSec, part of EDC-Free Europe, deems revised EU EDC criteria do not adequately protect public health and environment
10 EU Member States at risk of not reaching packaging waste recycling targets by 2025
European Environment Agency (EEA) reports on recycling targets; 10 Member States at risk of missing 65% packaging waste recycling rate by 2025; 19 members struggle to meet 50% plastic packaging recycling quota; upcoming packaging and packaging waste revision to include reuse and refill targets
Opinions: Toxic chemicals in everyday products
Article in New York Times outlines the issue of exposure to toxic chemicals from common products and the consequences for human health
EFSA: Draft opinion on NMDR open for consultation
European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) draft opinion reviews literature on assessment of non-monotonic dose responses (NMDRs), finds lack of standards for statistical approaches; suggests stepwise approach for ambiguous ‘apparent’ NMDRs; approach applied in two case studies finds no NMDR for bisphenol A (BPA) but does for di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP); open for comments until February 4, 2021
European Parliament against recycling of DEHP
European Parliament passes non-binding resolution banning the recycling of plastics containing phthalate DEHP