The European Parliament (EP) published a briefing paper on February 1, 2018, which summarizes the discussion on bisphenol A (BPA) during the January 11, 2018 meeting of the EP’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). At that meeting, ENVI rejected a draft motion to oppose the adoption of a draft EU Regulation on the use of BPA in food-contact materials because it did not go far enough to ensure a high level of protection.
The European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) rejected a motion to oppose the adoption of the draft EU Regulation on the use of bisphenol A in varnishes and coatings intended to come into contact with food and amending Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 as regards the use of that substance in plastic food contact materials at its January 11, 2018 committee meeting A copy of the draft motion is available here.
In a September 5, 2017 notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Commission (EC) announced its intention to further restrict the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in certain food-contact materials. This recently notified draft Regulation (EU) on the use of bisphenol A in varnishes and coatings intended to come into contact with food and amending Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 as regards the use of that substance in plastic food contact materials replaces the version notified to WTO on March 14, 2016.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a public consultation on a draft approach for a hazard assessment of bisphenol A (BPA).
The assessment itself will be conducted by EFSA's expert Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel). It is scheduled to begin in 2018 and it aims to assess whether the current temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) for BPA of 4 µg/kg bw per day should be maintained.
The California Senate Committee on Environmental Quality has amended AB-958 on the regulation polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) to remove a prohibition on the manufacture, sale, or distribution of any product that contains PFASs with eight or more carbon atoms. Instead, the bill requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate all PFASs in food-contact substances under the Green Chemistry program.
A California bill that would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate all PFASs in food-contact substances under the Green Chemistry program and ban products containing certain polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been approved by the state assembly by a vote of 44-28. (For background information the Green Chemistry program, see the PackagingLaw.com article, California’s Green Chemistry Initiative: Impact and Update.)
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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed two studies by Ménard et al. (2014) at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and concluded that they did not justify revising the temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) for bisphenol A (BPA).
The Center for Environmental Health submitted a petition the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) requesting that food cans with bisphenol A (BPA) resin linings be listed as a priority product-chemical under the state’s Safer Consumer Products Regulations (often referred to as the Green Chemistry Initiative).
The TSCA reform bill, H.R. 2576, which was intended to “modernize” the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, was signed into law on June 22, 1016, by President Barack Obama. The “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act” is effective upon enactment, and therefore will affect currently pending actions.
The cornerstone provision of the new law provides the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with broad authority to prioritize, review, and regulate “existing” chemicals in U.S. commerce. Some of the other highlights of the new law are listed below.