Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and Toxic-Free Future present new report on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in U.S. food contact materials on December 11, 2018; registration for webinar now open
Non-toxic chemicals are good for business
ChemSec discusses how hazardous substances can lead to costly business scandals and that substitution is necessary for a successful circular economy
EU elections: NGOs call for action on chemicals
European NGOs publish manifestos ahead of EU parliamentary elections calling for action on a range of issues including exposure to hazardous chemicals, EDCs, and a clean circular economy
BFFP: 13 key investments to combat plastic pollution
Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) recommends 13 key investments for US federal action; includes funding for multi re-use facility infrastructure, Environmental Protection Agency , research, government, and educational institutions; discourages further investments in chemical recycling, waste-to-energy/fuel technologies, carbon sequestration, downcycling, production, distribution and export of plastics
New platform for generating and exchanging in silico toxicity data
In silico tool VirtualToxLab used for estimating the toxic potential of chemicals is now freely available for non-profit organizations
New database provides 3D structures of EDCs
Freely available “EDCs DataBank” contains three-dimensional structures of 615 molecules, suitable for virtual screening
EU Parliament vetoes EDC criteria
EU Parliament’s vote rejects EU Commission’s proposal for EDC identification criteria for pesticides; asks to remove exemption for the substances with intended endocrine mode of action, deliver new proposal ‘without delay’
Non-target screening of silicone rubber extracts
Scientists perform non-target screening of compounds extracted from infant silicone teats; identify 140 compounds in 12 categories; more than a third of substances need safety evaluation
Report grades companies on responses to plastic pollution
Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow evaluates 50 largest US consumer-facing companies on their responses to address plastic pollution crisis; finds most companies too slow in adopting actions to prioritize packaging reduction and to promote reusability, recyclability, compostability; outlines key recommendations
Behind the barrier: Complex reality of paper and board packaging functionalization
Dossier discusses potentially misleading “eco-friendly” claims on paper and board packaging, plastic coatings are often used for functionalization: e.g., durability, grease-, water-, and gas -resistance; some alternatives exist but are not yet widely adopted or approved for food contact; recommends prioritizing reusable packaging and enforcing policy changes to eliminate PFAS and misleading marketing claims