US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) reissues risk assessment on perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS); sets reference doses for chronic exposure of 0.0003 mg/kg body weight/day and sub-chronic exposures of 0.001 mg/kg body weight/day
Antimony trioxide inhalation limit
U.S. scientific organization recommends lowering inhalation limit to 0.02 mg/m3; industry group warns of cost increases and intransparency in calculations
Studies present new generic and specific modeling approaches for FCCs migration
Scientists develop nonlinear model for predicting food contact chemical (FCC) migration and apply it to FCCs of high toxicological concern; emphasize usefulness of their model to speed up migration assessment of FCCs; different group of scientists proposes an innovative modeling approach to assess release of a specific additives and elements from plastic food packaging and steel processing tools
‘The trouble with plastics’
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Birth Defects Research presents a collection of articles on plastics’ effects on human health, with a particular focus on early development
Food Contact Regulations
EU to reduce plastic bag use
EU Member States required to reduce plastic bag usage by 80% by 2025
Toxicologists respond to Pew Trusts studies
Food Navigator USA article addresses food additive system criticism, states the analysis lacks differentiation
Predicting the safety of food contact articles: New science and digital opportunities
The 2018 annual Food Packaging Forum (FPF) Workshop featured high profile speakers and offered an ideal platform for exchanging views with different stakeholders in the field of food contact materials (FCMs). The FPF also provided access to a live webcast of this year’s workshop for a minimal registration fee. Participants who could not attend the workshop in person, thus still had the opportunity to follow the speaker presentations, Q&As, and the podium discussion. The FPF Workshop is a one-of-a-kind event […]
What knowledge is missing to derive a microplastic threshold value?
Microplastic experts review mammalian in vivo effect studies and develop non-regulatory health-based screening level value for microplastics in drinking water; scientists provide research recommendations to better understand microplastic toxicity, effect levels, and potential health risks to humans and aquatic ecosystems; review discusses nanoplastics’ role in food allergy
Degradation of compostable plastics can increase toxicity, scientists emphasize
Studies analyze biodegradable – including compostable – plastics for their in vitro toxicity and chemical composition; comparison with conventional plastics indicates higher toxicity of compostables which further increases with photodegradation and composting; detect brominated flame retardants in “biodegradable”-labeled food packaging