Interactive and openly available, the Plastic Health Map summarizes human health outcomes of certain plastic-associated chemicals and particles as published by peer-review articles between 1960 and 2021; includes more than 3500 studies for 1557 chemicals; identifies gaps, including only 30% of chemicals have been investigated for health impacts, few studies in low-income countries
EDC implications for health, economy, and policy
New scientific reports summarize implications of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) for human health and implications for economics and policy; call for ‘urgent action to reduce exposure to EDCs’
Article discusses toxic chemical exposure and COVID-19
Environmental Health News calls for reducing public’s exposure to toxic chemicals within food packaging, processed foods; cites studies linking COVID-19 death risk to existing chronic conditions, calls out chemicals as exacerbating the problem
Immunomodulatory effects of EDCs
Scientists review studies reporting that some endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can affect development and functions of human immune cells; consequences include altered responses to infections and development of immune related diseases; food contact material (FCM)-relevant immunomodulatory EDCs include bisphenols, phthalates, triclosan
Immunotoxicity testing for FCM assessment
FDA scientists review currently available tools, discuss how they might be used for developmental immunotoxicity assessment of food contact materials
France bans TiO2 in food
France bans titanium dioxide in food by 2020 following report by ANSES reiterating 2017 recommendation to reduce exposures; EFSA does not see need to open reassessment at the moment
U.S. NGO requests ‘moratorium’ on new PFAS
U.S. NGO Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) calls on Congress to halt the introduction of new per- and polyfluoalkyl substances on the market until more is known about their toxicity and persistence; calls for more studies of cancer risks
New infographics on EDCs
Health and Environment Alliance releases infographics on endocrine disrupting chemicals, focuses on the need to accommodate low dose effects and science advances into risk assessment
Call to invest in cancer prevention
Laura Vandenberg comments on the 2019 State of the Union address by President Trump, points out the need for research and prevention programs focused on the role of environmental exposures in cancer
Health risks of chemicals in consumer products
Review article concludes that peer-reviewed literature on chemicals and health tends to focus on already-known chemicals and lacks predictive power; authors call for more explorative research given the multitude of little-studied chemicals