Targeting Environmental Neuro-Development Risks (TENDR) project publishes review in American Journal of Public Health analyzing link between ortho-phthalate exposure and impaired neurodevelopment, behavioral disorders such as ADHD; authors call for strong governmental and cooperative action, recommend reducing phthalate exposure from e.g. diet, medical equipment, personal care products
Virginia bans polystyrene and single-use plastics
US state governor passes legislation banning polystyrene foam food packaging partially by 2023 and fully by 2025; sets penalty of $50 a day, civil organizations to be exempted; signed executive order regulating phase-out of non-reusable plastics from public institutions by July 21, 2021
Call for stronger regulation on chemical mixtures
Scientists call for stronger regulation and better integration of different legislations in order to improve assessment of chemical mixtures’ risks
Hazard prioritization of printing inks and adhesives substances
Scientific study performs hazard prioritization on chemicals in printing inks and adhesives applied to plastic food packaging; uses publicly available “substances of concern” lists and an in silico tool; identifies 636 high and 1024 medium priority substances of which 696 ranked as “very high priority substances” by experts
Standardizing Benchmark Dose (BMD) calculations
New study assesses reliability of standardized Benchmark Dose calculations, more dose groups and lower number of animals make for better BMD model
EU Regions’ opinion on plastics strategy
EU Committee of Regions releases opinion urging that hazardous substances be ‘completely removed’ from plastic products by 2025, in order to boost circular economy
Plastics identified as source of legal liability
Minderoo Foundation finds liabilities from the health and environmental effects of microplastics and plastic-related chemicals to be worth more than $20 billion in the US by 2030; potentially up to $100 billion in liabilities expected by 2030 with the number expected to increase in the future; article published by the American Bar Association focuses on potential corporate liabilities from micro- and nanoplastics in particular
EFSA FCM working group: 4th meeting
Minutes of the 4th meeting of EFSA’s CEP Panel working group on food contact materials now available online; WG continues risk-assessing several new FCMs, discusses prioritization of substances listed in the EU food contact plastics regulation without specific migration limits
Call for more transparent chemical assessments
3 EU Member States request more transparency in industry studies as well as resources for ECHA and EFSA to undertake independent studies in case of inconsistencies
Uncertainty factors in chemical risk assessment
A new scientific review article assesses validity of commonly used uncertainty factors