Academic scientists from the International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP) publish article in journal Science, call for creation of new global science-policy body to address pollution from chemicals and waste; new body to provide scientific basis for international and national action via authoritative assessments, identifying emerging concerns, connecting policy makers to scientists
England to introduce plastic bag ban
Queen to announce to Parliament a ban of free plastic bags, supermarkets to charge 5 pence per bag from 2015 onwards
Avoiding drinking water from garden hoses
CBC news advises against drinking water from garden hoses; may leach phthalates, BPA & lead above drinking water standards
Webinar on drivers for change in FCMs
Chemical Watch webinar to discuss challenges, trends, and opportunities in food contact materials (FCMs); include presentations from Nestlé and HAVI
New FCM database linked to toxicity data
EC meets FCM stakeholders: new Council of Europe list of FCM substances, web application to facilitate DoC reporting
Human exposure to BPA—scientific evidence discussed
Review article discusses the scientific evidence for human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and explains the current controversy about biomonitoring data, criticizing FDA and EFSA scientific opinions
Phthalate body burden in Chinese children
Researches investigate associations between reported dietary intake and phthalate body burden of 430 school-age children in Shanghai, China
Berlin: 1st joint symposium on nanotechnology
Joint symposium of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Fraunhofer Food Chain Management and Nanotechnology Alliances to be held on 5-6 March, 2015
No agreement yet on EDC criteria
EU Commission and Member States continue discussion on EDC criteria; no agreement reached yet; new revised draft and next meeting foreseen
Use of BPA in Spanish FCMs
Spanish NGO publishes survey on prevalence of bisphenol A in food packaging, calls for greater transparency and consumer protection by legal action.