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risk assessment

April 20, 2023

Baby foods as dominant pathway for infant exposure to antioxidants

Targeted analysis demonstrates widespread contamination of Chinese baby foods with traditional and novel antioxidants; plastic food packaging identified as one source; prevalent and high migration of 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol from different types of plastics
Reading time: 4 minutes

April 6, 2023

Phthalates found in diverse array of foods, from coffee to baby formula

Systematic review summarizes phthalate occurrence in different foods, discusses sources, and potential risk; researchers assess how coffee packaging and brewing method affects bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-butyl phthalate (DBP) levels in coffee; perform targeted analysis of 245 plastic additives in baby foods; report widespread contamination including a median of 46.1 ng phthalate esters per gram baby food
Reading time: 6 minutes

February 27, 2023

Toward a guidance to assess safety of food packaging coatings

Interlaboratory study evaluates protocol for consistent safety assessment of coated metal packaging materials; guidance comprises sample preparation, chemical and biological analysis; finds technical differences affect outcome; emphasizes need for aligned protocol to avoid inconsistencies
Reading time: 2 minutes

January 31, 2023

Studies assess composition and safety of chemicals in recycled HDPE

Scientists analyze volatile compounds in recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE); detect 53 chemicals in two post-consumer HDPE milk bottles including plastic additives and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS); risk assessment shows samples do not comply with plastic food packaging regulation; report re-granulation process in mechanical recycling to remove most but not all odor and volatile organic compounds
Reading time: 4 minutes

January 19, 2023

Studies assess PFAS, OPEs, and plasticizers in paper & board

Review summarizes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) migration from paper food packaging into food and food simulants and identifies dietary exposure of PFAS as potential human health risk; study highlights need to further evaluate organophosphate esters (OPEs) and prohibited PFAS in paper and aluminum foil food packaging; scientists analyze and recommend extraction method to assess plasticizers in recycled paperboard
Reading time: 7 minutes

January 11, 2023

Plastic recycling: company commitments and chemical safety challenges

Scientists report most large companies commit to reducing plastic pollution but focus on recycling; extrusion of recycled materials and legacy compounds in recycled materials as safety challenge; some substances increase others decrease with the increase in recycled content in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles; tentatively identify 212 volatile chemicals in 57 different recycled PET flakes available in China; present migration model to characterize the exposure and risk of PET oligomers
Reading time: 8 minutes

December 23, 2022

Ways forward to improve polymer assessment and management

Critical review evaluates regulatory approaches of polymer assessment and management; identifies critical knowledge gaps by comparison with recent scientific findings; proposes policy options for safe and sustainable polymer use; suggest more transparency, standardized testing procedures, and improved understanding of environmental fate and hazards
Reading time: 3 minutes

November 24, 2022

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
Reading time: 7 minutes

November 18, 2022

Study investigates quantity and risk of oligomers in PBT

Researchers analyze oligomer in extracts and migrates of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) food contact articles also comparing levels in food and food simulants; report human exposure to oligomers can exceed daily threshold in some scenarios; express the need for toxicological evaluation of PBT oligomers
Reading time: 2 minutes

September 23, 2022

WHO report on potential human health implications of microplastics

World Health Organization (WHO) report assesses human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics via inhalation and diet as well as potential health implications; finds available data of limited use for risk assessment
Reading time: 2 minutes
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