Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) finds endocrine disrupting chemical bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in 48 of 60 (80%) of tested paper/board food packaging items; detects also dibutylphthalat (DBP) and Bisphenol A (BPA)
Toxicological and chemical profiling of plastic migrates
Scientific study investigates in vitro toxicity and composition of chemical mixtures migrating from everyday plastic products made of eight polymer types; demonstrates that thousands of chemicals can leach under realistic use conditions, including compounds toxic in vitro that contribute to human exposure; emphasizes the importance to rethink and redesign plastics to achieve safe materials
New members for EC scientific committees
European Commission seeks new members for scientific committees (2016-2021); application deadline is November 2, 2015
Tackling the toxics in plastics packaging
Article in PLOS Biology discusses hazardous chemicals in plastics; highlights chemicals as critical but often missing aspect in plastic pollution discussion; proposes rethinking current approach to plastic packaging toxicity testing
EEA report presents pathways toward circular plastics economy
European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes report on plastics, their impact on the environment and climate, and their place in an EU circular economy; three joint pathways for achieving necessary change identified based on smarter use, increased circularity, and renewable raw material
Whistleblowers claim EPA is hiding chemical risks
The Intercept reports four career staff members of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claim that the agency is hiding risks discovered in toxicological assessments of chemicals; plans additional follow-up articles to further investigate the claims
Report on residential access to recycling in the US
Sustainable Packaging Coalition publishes updated report on the availability of residential recycling in the United States for 32 types of packaging materials; steel food cans, aluminum beverage cans, corrugated cardboard, paperboard, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles accepted by > 84% of facilities surveyed; foil and rigid polystyrene (PS) had fewest recycling options; access to recycling declined since 2016
EU receives stakeholder feedback on FCM plans
European Commission receives 302 comments on inception impact assessment for revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCM); Food Packaging Forum submits comments calling for revising definition to consider chemicals with difficult-to-identify safety levels, offers support to prioritize chemicals of concern
Stakeholders discuss waste management challenges of plastics
Publications from government, academia, civil society organizations, and consultancies paint problematic picture of a circular plastics economy; plastic packaging waste per person found to increase over last decade; low percentage of plastic produced is effectively recycled; pyrolysis (a type of chemical recycling) of plastics produces 9x more emissions than mechanical recycling; “biodegradable” and “compostable” plastics found to not break down in home compost systems
FDA denies citizen petition to ban phthalates in food contact materials
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects two citizen petitions from 2016 asking it to remove 28 phthalates from food contact use for safety reasons; grants industry petition to remove 23 phthalates due to abandonment; FDA issues request for information on use and safety information of remaining phthalates; comments accepted until July 19, 2022