Article in Daily Environmental Report summarizes strengths and weaknesses of the updated Toxic Substances Control Act; calls on public to engage in implementation process
Scientists concerned about FDA’s conclusions on BPA safety
Academic scientists criticize U.S. FDA’s premature conclusions on safety of bisphenol A based on draft CLARITY-BPA core study report; academic studies within CLARITY-BPA will elucidate more sensitive effects on endocrine system
US Agency for Toxic Substances seeks comments on tox profiles
US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) publishes draft toxicological profiles for six substances including several used in food contact: acetone, 3,3-dichlorobenzidine, and pentachlorophenol; ATSDR accepting comments until October 27, 2021
Spanish health experts call for stricter EDC regulation
Several thousand Spanish public health experts call upon Health Ministry and European Commission to act upon EDCs
Microplastics in sea salt
Researchers find microplastic particles in commercial sea salts from different countries; human intake estimated to be low; more research needed to assess health risks
Study detects DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in recycled PE, PP, and PS
119 plastic samples including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tested for mutagenicity; no DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in PET but in 51 of the other samples, making them unsafe, especially for food contact applications; recycling process identified as source; dataset of over 600 organic chemicals in recycled high-density PE pellets published
Civil society organizations introduce new certification program for reusable food packaging
Standard aims at improving chemical safety of reusable food contact articles and reducing plastic waste; involves rigorous testing and transparency of ingredients used in the packaging
Researchers detect chemicals present in and migrating from PET bottles
Two studies analyze polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chemicals; identify several volatile chemicals present in and migrating from new PET bottles as well as from bottles commercially available in Japan; develop online method for quantifying non-intentionally added substances (NIAS)
Oligomers – presence in FCMs and food, toxicity, challenges
Review summarizes analysis and presence of oligomers in food contact materials (FCMs) made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polystyrene (PS) including challenges; study suggests ionic strength may influence migration of polyamide (PA) oligomers from PA FCMs
Phthalate exposure and health impacts
Four scientific articles report on phthalate exposure sources and impacts; diet partly explains urinary phthalate levels in adolescents and children surveyed in the US and New Zealand; review of reviews summarizes human health impacts; finds studies on women “generally underrepresented”; study indicates three phthalates affect human oral health