EU Parliament votes to approve revisions to the EU’s General Food Law; next step for Council of Ministers to formally approve text before entering into force
News Article
April 18, 2019
News Article
January 30, 2017
ECHA selects 162 substances for examination
ECHA screening shortlists 162 potentially hazardous substances for further scrutiny by EU Member States; list not publicly available
News Article
February 15, 2022
WWF: marine plastic pollution irreversible, strategies needed beyond recycling
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) publishes principles for chemical recycling to avoid harming human health or goals for circular economy; should not compete with mechanical recycling, need transparency about resource consumption; prioritize reduction, reuse over recycling; WWF and Alfred Wegener Institute report on plastics’ impacts on oceans; plastic contamination is permanent; at least 2144 species affected, 99.8% of seabird species will eat plastics by 2050
News Article
August 23, 2024
Recent studies show that MNPs can negatively impact reproductive health
Studies confirm micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in human endometrial tissue, amniotic fluid, placentas, and feces of pregnant people; MNP presence in the endometrium is linked with recurrent miscarriages in humans, apoptosis in organoids, and reduced fertility in mice; higher MNPs exposure from seafood and bottled water consumption
News Article
April 11, 2016
REACH: Completeness of registration dossiers
ECHA commits to reevaluating the completeness of REACH substance registrations following a Board of Appeal ruling finding that ECHA has previously failed to adequately do so
News Article
October 19, 2023
New database on global plastics laws and policies
Civil society organizations publish database to research, track, and visualize plastic legislation around the world; hope to reach scientists, policymakers, industry, journalists; tool launched in anticipation of the global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya in November
News Article
June 3, 2021
NGOs petition US FDA to ban PFAS in food packaging
NGOs in the United States including the Environmental Defense Fund, Center for Food Safety, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, and the League of Conservation Voters, send petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the agency to ban all PFAS in food packaging; US Representative Dingell plans to introduce legislation banning PFAS to US House of Representatives
News Article
May 19, 2022
Database sheds light on thousands of chemicals in food contact materials
Peer-reviewed study and freely available interactive tool provides systematic overview of food contact chemicals measured in migrates and extracts of food contact materials and articles
News Article
August 4, 2023
Degradation of compostable plastics can increase toxicity, scientists emphasize
Studies analyze biodegradable – including compostable – plastics for their in vitro toxicity and chemical composition; comparison with conventional plastics indicates higher toxicity of compostables which further increases with photodegradation and composting; detect brominated flame retardants in “biodegradable”-labeled food packaging
News Article
July 17, 2015
Spotlight on compliance of plastic resins
Study by regulatory enforcement officers highlights insufficient compliance work by polyolefin producers on migrating substances from plastics intended for food contact
