Topics
PFAS
February 2, 2023
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) publishes synthesis report on less well-studied sub-group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - polymeric PFAS; finds that these polymers can contain sizeable amounts of non-polymeric PFAS or can degrade into them; polymeric PFAS seen as ‘long-term significant sources’ of PFAS in the environment and in living organisms
Reading time: 2 minutes
January 23, 2023
Thai Industrial Standards Institute publishes updated standard for metal, fluoropolymer coated utensils in contact with hot foods; standard borrows from EU overall migration test methods for plastic materials and ISO standards; comes into force April 2, 2023; Thai ministries introduce tax incentive to reduce fossil-plastic use
Reading time: 2 minutes
January 18, 2023
Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden officially submit a restriction proposal for all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the EU; European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will publish the documents online on February 7, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 31, 2022
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will review data to rate carcinogenicity of two PFAS chemicals at 2023 meeting; PFOA defined as “possibly carcinogenic” in 2017, PFOS never before reviewed; Agency seeks nominations for experts until November 28, 2022, data until October 7, 2023
Topics: PFAS
Reading time: 0 minutes
October 27, 2022
Coalition of European civil society organizations publish manifesto urging EU Member States and the European Commission to ban PFAS in consumer products by 2025 and in all uses by 2030
Topics: PFAS
Reading time: 0 minutes
October 18, 2022
Earthjustice files petition asking US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke approval of 600 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allowed on the market under exemptions of the Toxic Substances Control Act; represents about half the number of PFAS on the market; EPA extends reach of guidelines for federal purchasing of PFAS-free products; Food and Drug Administration funding bill stripped of reform amendments including federal ban on PFAS in food packaging
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 28, 2022
Review summarizes the scientific knowledge on five groups of contaminants migrating from drinking water distribution systems into tap water; reports microplastics, bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, nonylphenol (NP), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in tap water and may stem from pipes and reservoirs; finds pipe material type largely influences contaminant migration
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 13, 2022
US Environmental Protection Agency proposes to classify two PFAS as hazardous substances; would obligate manufacturers who released the chemicals into environment to register the release and potentially pay for cleanup; Over 2800 known contaminated sites; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggests doctors test more groups for PFAS exposure; California likely to implement bill to register nearly all products with intentionally added PFAS
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 3, 2022
Scientists suggest per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental media represent a new planetary boundary that has been exceeded; calculate that regulatory action on PFAS use and remediation may provide substantial economic benefits through reduction of health-related costs
Topics: PFAS, regulation
Reading time: 5 minutes
July 27, 2022
United States Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions adds the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act as amendment to Food and Drug Administration funding bill; if it passes, PFAS would be banned in food packaging by January 1, 2024; trade groups in US state of Maine protest PFAS notification; Belgium plans national ban on PFAS if EU does not act by 2023; Japan bans 56 PFOA-related substances; Mexico proposes PFOS, PFOA import and export restrictions
Reading time: 3 minutes
