EFSA updates scientific opinion on mineral oil hydrocarbons in foodstuff; concludes some compounds pose health risk to EU population; public consultation is open for comments until April 30, 2023
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March 30, 2023
News Article
November 1, 2016
FPF Workshop 2016: Substitution and elimination of chemicals of concern
Experts from industry and academia explain fundamental concepts and legal background of chemical substitutions; discuss practical challenges in replacing chemicals of concern in food packaging materials
News Article
August 15, 2023
ZWE critiques industry-funded Life Cycle Assessments on reusable packaging in new report
Zero Waste Europe compares three packaging life cycle assessment (LCA) studies; two are industry-funded, one is published by a university; finds that industry funding introduces heavy biases when making assumptions about reuse systems; also finds industry-funded reports lack transparency in methodologies
News Article
October 11, 2021
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
News Article
October 18, 2022
Action and inaction on PFAS in the US federal government
Earthjustice files petition asking US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke approval of 600 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allowed on the market under exemptions of the Toxic Substances Control Act; represents about half the number of PFAS on the market; EPA extends reach of guidelines for federal purchasing of PFAS-free products; Food and Drug Administration funding bill stripped of reform amendments including federal ban on PFAS in food packaging
News Article
July 23, 2020
Uptake and internal distribution of PFAS
Scientists develop radiolabeling method to trace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) uptake and distribution in mice; observe uptake in all organs, transport from mother to fetus across placenta; highest uptake in liver after tail vein administration, in lungs after oral gavage
News Article
April 6, 2023
Phthalates found in diverse array of foods, from coffee to baby formula
Systematic review summarizes phthalate occurrence in different foods, discusses sources, and potential risk; researchers assess how coffee packaging and brewing method affects bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-butyl phthalate (DBP) levels in coffee; perform targeted analysis of 245 plastic additives in baby foods; report widespread contamination including a median of 46.1 ng phthalate esters per gram baby food
News Article
December 9, 2020
EUBP panel: Biodegradable plastic’s contribution for climate-neutral economy
15th European Bioplastics (EUBP) conference panel discusses role of biodegradable plastics in achieving climate neutral circular economy, argues application should be limited to waste collection applications; notes many composters still reject plastics, communication and clarification needed
News Article
April 7, 2023
European Commission introduces EDC subcategories and new hazard classes in CLP revision
Commission amends regulation on classification, labeling, and packaging (CLP) of chemicals and mixtures; endocrine disrupting chemicals now categorized into known or presumed and suspected endocrine disruptors; introduces four hazard classes from REACH
News Article
April 29, 2021
US considers new chemical recycling legislation
US states Oklahoma and Arizona pass bills to support chemical recycling facilities; at the same time, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers whether to include chemical recycling in national recycling calculations
