Next meeting of EU Commission and Member States on revised criteria to identify endocrine disrupters to take place on May 17-18, 2017; vote foreseen despite persisting concerns
Monomers migrate from plastics, some are EDCs
In a comprehensive review, researchers from the University of South Africa discuss the monomer migration from plastic food packaging, focusing on known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs); migration process, potential health impacts discussed
‘The trouble with plastics’
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Birth Defects Research presents a collection of articles on plastics’ effects on human health, with a particular focus on early development
Studies report on oligomer migration from food packaging
Scientists perform migration experiments for oligomer analysis; one study detects eight chemicals including six non-intentionally added oligomers to migrate from multilayer biodegradable teacups; second study reports on oligomer migration from polycarbonate tableware as ‘hidden source’ of bisphenol A (BPA)
Flexible plastic packaging expected to grow
Market research by the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) estimates 3,271 billion packaging units sold in 2018, led by flexible plastics and PET bottles; expects both material types to also see greatest increases by 2023
FPF Workshop 2019: Perspectives on innovations
Innovations improving the safety of food contact articles discussed during afternoon session; panel with guests from academia, non-profit organizations, start-ups and industry
EFSA publishes guidance on chemical grouping for risk assessments
Final version of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance prioritizes hazard-driven criteria for grouping chemicals; supports human health risk assessments of combined chemical exposures; recommends relying on mechanistic information on toxicity within a weight-of-evidence approach
Industry survey on glass packaging and consumers
European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) reports results from recent survey on European consumers; finds increase in glass packaging purchases, decisions being driven increasingly by recyclability and environmental considerations
Review on EDCs and breast cancer calls for research inclusivity
Researchers review association between endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure, specifically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and parabens, and breast cancer development; report structural racism increases EDC exposure of marginalized communities; emphasize need for considering socially disadvantaged populations in research to mitigate exposure and improve breast cancer disparities; review finds bisphenol A (BPA) replacements BPS and BPF as carcinogenic as BPA
FPF webinar on reprotoxic food contact chemicals
Register now for the Food Packaging Forum’s webinar on food contact chemical surfynol and its reprotoxic properties that will be held on March 27, 2018