Scientists discuss different cases of nonmonotonic dose-response curves and their relevance for regulatory decision-making; nonmonotonicity occurring at low doses challenges current approach to determining low-dose ‘safe’ exposure levels from high-dose toxicity testing
Stain-resistant chemical linked to thyroid function
Huffington Post reports on new science study on perfluorinated chemicals, too little known about long-term effects states the study co-author
San Francisco may ban plastic water bottles
San Francisco prepares legislation to ban sales of water in plastic bottles on public ground
Reuse Fact Sheet
fact sheet Reusable Food Packaging and foodware Everyone is talking about reuse. It’s a promising approach to drastically reduce packaging waste, but scaling it up responsibly calls for some careful considerations. Check out our fact sheet for a quick introduction! English Spanish French What is reuse? Reusable foodware and packaging are repeatedly used for the same purpose for which they were originally created. Their stability and material properties allow them to be cleaned and hygienically reused many times. A minimum […]
Bamboo in plastic FCMs not authorized in the EU
European Commission’s Working Group concludes that bamboo-based additives are not authorized per se for use in plastic food contact materials in the EU; business operators to explicitly demonstrate safety by migration testing; migration of melamine, formaldehyde of high concern; additional concerns about misleading labeling and advertising
Packaging: Food waste vs. plastic waste
C&EN presents the debate on the costs of food packaging made of flexible plastics and multilayered structures: Less food waste and economic benefits vs. more difficult recycling and negative environmental impacts
Cadmium in decorated glassware
Review of cadmium pigments in consumer products; food-contact relevant sources include small quantities in recycled plastics, high use in ceramic products, main exposure risk from decorative paint used on drinkware
Chemical mixtures in epidemiology
Article in Environmental Health Perspective outlines how epidemiological studies can approach individual, interactive and cumulative effects of chemicals in mixtures on human health
Chemical exposure associated with low testosterone levels in humans
Phthalate concentrations in humans linked to declined testosterone concentrations
Migration of nitrosamines from FCMs
Scientists develop analytical method to measure N-nitrosamines migrating from elastomeric food contact materials; 6 nitrosamines detected frequently; BfR-recommended limit exceeded for one styrene block copolymer sample