Danish consumer council tests nine different bags of microwave oven popcorn and finds PFCAs in the lining of all of them
Study links phthalate exposure and thyroid function in humans
Scientific study investigates effect of plasticizer exposure during pregnancy on thyroid function; outcomes suggest several phthalate metabolites disrupt thyroid hormone levels; finds association of phthalate-alternative DINCH with thyroxine levels
Opinions: Toxic chemicals in everyday products
Article in New York Times outlines the issue of exposure to toxic chemicals from common products and the consequences for human health
Opinion: long way to banning an EDC
Online magazine reviews the banning procedure of an EDC under REACH
FitNESS 2.0 project expands open access food packaging training materials
EU-funded training platform on responsible food packaging contains three months’ worth of free course material for both current and future professionals; developed by consortium of European universities specializing in food packaging; developments underway to expand platform’s training topics, provide validated certificates of course completion
Chemical exposures during pregnancy
Washington Post discusses exposure to environmental chemicals during pregnancy, risks posed to unborn children
Inks found to migrate out of FCMs
New study finds 24 substances originating from inks to migrate from two food contact materials
FPF Workshop 2020: Work of IARC explained
Kate Guyton reviews the work of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), underlines the essential role played by independent scientific experts, describes processes used for evidence synthesis and carcinogen classification; key characteristics of carcinogens constitute an important approach to cancer hazard identification
Recommendations for a circular chemical economy
Paper in Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering analyzes sources of chemical losses throughout the chemical life cycle, suggests approaches to improve chemical circularity; losses include fugitive emissions in manufacturing, dissipation in field use, impurities and regulatory incompatibility interfering with recycling; propose two changes to chemical assessments to guide sustainable production and use
FPF Workshop 2020: Values and transparency in science
Kevin Elliott discusses how values can influence scientific judgements or be themselves affected by them; transparency plays an important role in responding to challenges caused by value-laden judgements; contents and venues chosen for transparent communication need to be adjusted according to each stakeholder’s needs