The U.S. House of Representatives votes in favor of Toxic Substances Control Act reform bill; U.S. Senate will vote in July 2015
Scientists emphasize importance for LCAs to consider plastic particle impacts
Review provides understanding of how knowledge gaps on long-term plastic particle fate affect life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and distort policy decisions; exemplifies discussion comparing a fossil-based with a biodegradable plastic; highlights importance of covering plastic particle impacts and its unknowns transparently in LCAs to allow reliable material comparisons and responsible decision making
Glass packaging continues to grow
Industry group reports 1% growth in glass packaging production, attributes increase to environmentally conscious consumers
Scientists use in silico-based models to prioritize food contact chemicals
Two studies applied computational methods to screen food contact chemicals (FCCs) for carcinogenic properties or interaction with 31 nuclear receptors; one identifies 44 potential carcinogens among 1623 assessed FCCs; other finds more than half of 8091 screened FCCs with high binding affinity for several nuclear receptors
Second bill introduced to reform TSCA
US Senators Barbara Boxer and Edward Markey introduced second chemical reform legislation, calls for ban on asbestos
Responsibility of (bio)plastics industry
13th annual European Bioplastics conference discusses impacts of plastics pollution, elements of EU circular economy package, food contact regulations, bioplastics market development, life cycle assessment, new building blocks
Business case study: Competition on toxicity destructive
Washington Post comments on competition amongst reusable water bottle manufacturers: collaboration on toxic substance replacement results in higher benefits
Focus on recycling
Video and article discuss waste management and recycling practices in the U.S.; highlight PET bottle recycling and ways to shift responsibility from governments to manufacturers
Review analyzes link between ortho-phthalates and ADHD
Targeting Environmental Neuro-Development Risks (TENDR) project publishes review in American Journal of Public Health analyzing link between ortho-phthalate exposure and impaired neurodevelopment, behavioral disorders such as ADHD; authors call for strong governmental and cooperative action, recommend reducing phthalate exposure from e.g. diet, medical equipment, personal care products
Virginia bans polystyrene and single-use plastics
US state governor passes legislation banning polystyrene foam food packaging partially by 2023 and fully by 2025; sets penalty of $50 a day, civil organizations to be exempted; signed executive order regulating phase-out of non-reusable plastics from public institutions by July 21, 2021