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Studies investigate plastic packaging use, EDCs, and reproductive health

Recent research articles look at relationship between endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from packaging and human reproductive health; find no relationship between a woman’s reported use of plastic food packaging and pregnancy duration and birthweight; identify potential non-monotonic dose-response relationship between di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure and woman’s reported infertility

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Final rule on GRAS

U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues final rule on food ingredients ‘generally recognized as safe’; specifies requirements for scientific evidence; notification remains voluntary

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Packaging could be involved in spreading novel coronavirus

Study led by U.S. National Institutes of Health finds SARS-CoV-2 virus remains on plastic and stainless steel for up to three days, cardboard up to one day; raises concerns regarding packaging as a potential vector for spreading the virus, potential need to wash or quarantine packaged products at home

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FDA sued over GRAS program

NGO sues FDA over GRAS notification process, success would force FDA to revert back to pre-1997 rules

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OECD report on polymeric PFAS

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) publishes synthesis report on less well-studied sub-group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – polymeric PFAS; finds that these polymers can contain sizeable amounts of non-polymeric PFAS or can degrade into them; polymeric PFAS seen as ‘long-term significant sources’ of PFAS in the environment and in living organisms