Panel publishes safety assessment of ‘phosphoric acid, mixed esters with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate’; finds no safety concern when used as co-monomer up to set concentration, often used in manufacture of kitchen sinks and countertops
Benchmarking in vitro toxicity of plastics
Scientists investigate in vitro toxicity and chemical composition of plastic consumer products made of different polymers; high baseline toxicity of polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics; food contact status does not necessarily imply lower toxicity
Health effects of PFAS exposure
Epidemiologists examine possible associations between PFAS exposure and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, fetal and child development
FDA dismisses food packaging as SARS-CoV-2 exposure route
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes statement that proclaims no scientific evidence for SARS-CoV-2 transmission via contaminated food or food packaging
Germany identifies data gaps in REACH dossiers
Half of REACH registration dossiers appear to contain inadequate data on SVHCs
Japan identifies priority assessment substances
Ministries in Japan announce 15 new substances as priority assessment substances, 6 of which known to be used in food contact materials; requires annual reporting for import and manufacture
Melamine’s effects beyond kidney
Scoping review identifies potential health effects of melamine other than renal damage, including impacts on neurological functions, behavior, reproduction, and growth
EFSA EREN: Identifying emerging risks
Overview article describes outcomes of EFSA’s emerging risks exchange network (EREN) from 2010-2014, strategy for dealing with emerging risks in food safety
‘Essential use’ concept to aid PFAS phase-out
Scientists propose ‘essential use’ concept to accelerate phase-out of PFAS; trade association highlights ‘flawed assumptions’
Governments create website compiling EDCs across EU
Government agencies from six EU member states launch new website containing sets of substances identified as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) or currently under review for ED properties; separated into three sets recognized on the EU level, national level, or currently under review