The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) amends national packaging legislation to add overall migration limits for antimony and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from plastic food packaging
France may ban plastic bags
French representatives pass a complete ban of plastic bags in shops, to be voted on by the full assembly in autumn 2014
Limited ECHA database due to funding
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) set to create limited, prototype version of database on substances of very high concern in products; talks on sustainable financing solutions ongoing
Stakeholders prepare for the second Plastics Treaty negotiation
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), industry organizations, scientific research groups, and civil society organizations publish flurry of reports and policy briefs in preparation for second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2); meeting takes place in Paris, France May 29 – June 2, 2023
Nanomaterials: Challenges for risk assessment
New book chapter by EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Danish scientists reviews feasibility and challenges of human health risk assessment for nanomaterials
Pew Charitable Trust report evaluates plastic pollution scenarios
Analysis calculates current commitments will only reduce plastic pollution flows into oceans by 7%; implementing all feasible solutions now could cut pollution by up to 78%; authors call for urgent and coordinated action by all stakeholders, redirecting all current and future investments away from virgin plastic infrastructure
New study shows novel effects of low dose BPA exposures
Early life exposures to low doses of BPA studied in mice and linked to significant dose-dependent changes in animals’ biochemical response
Restriction of 4 phthalates progressing
ECHA’s Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis issues final opinion in favor of banning endocrine disrupting phthalates DEHP, DBP, DIBP, and BBP in consumer articles; all 4 phthalates relevant for food contact materials
State of New York to ban PFAS in food packaging
House and Senate chambers both pass legislation, set to ban use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging starting in 2023; legislation sent to state governor for signature into law
Phthalates: impact on leiomyoma growth and mixture risk
Study identifies mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) exposure as high-risk factor for leiomyoma growth on epidemiological and mechanistic level; European biomonitoring of five reprotoxic phthalates demonstrates necessity to integrate mixture risk assessment into regulatory practice; targeted analysis shows migration of five phthalates from polypropylene food packaging