SIN list update  ข่าวโดย..Su 13 April 2016 - ChemSec adds 18 new substances of very high concern to SIN List; update includes 2 UV-filters permitted in packaging inks; all substances already included in REACH Candidate List...
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/sin-list-update

Hazardous chemicals and recycling  ข่าวโดย..Su April 6, 2016 ; Dutch institute for public health (RIVM) recommends “responsible” plastics recycling; use of purification technology to minimize exposure to chemicals of concern is advised. On March 22, 2016 the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) published a report entitled “Plastics that contain hazardous substances: Recycle or incinerate?” Plastic recycling is favorable in the process of moving towards a more sustainable, circular economy. However, many plastics contain chemicals of concern (COC) and their recycling could increase exposure for both humans and the environment. The RIVM report outlines current waste-processing procedures, the technical background of plastic recycling and the legislation around recycling. RIVM elaborates the dilemma of plastic recycling in two different case studies: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) containing the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD, CAS 3194-55-6), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic tubes containing the plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP, CAS 117-81-7), as well as cadmium and lead.....
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/hazardous-chemicals-and-recycling

EU plans BPA update  ข่าวโดย..Su April 4, 2016 ; European Commission plans to lower specific migration limit (SML) for BPA from food contact plastics; new SML shall also apply to varnishes and coatings used in FCMs. In an article published on March 23, 2016 by news provider Food Production Daily, journalist Joe Whitworth reports on a draft regulation by the European Commission’s (EC) Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) concerning the regulation of bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in food contact materials (FCMs). The draft regulation, which has been notified to the World Trade Organization, lowers the specific migration limit (SML) for food contact plastics from 0.6mg/kg to 0.05 mg/kg. This value is well below an SML (0.24 mg/kg food) based on the temporary Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 4 µg/kg body weight/day which had been set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its 2015 scientific opinion on BPA (FPF reported). This suggests that the EC is taking into account other routes of BPA exposure in addition to dietary uptake from FCMs. It is worth noting that the SML for bisphenol S (BPS, CAS 80-09-1), used as an alternative to BPA, is also 0.05 mg/kg....
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/eu-plans-bpa-update

Industry pushes for EU-wide regulation  ข่าวโดย..Su Beverage carton and flexible packaging industry groups call for harmonized, EU-wide legislation for all types of food contact materials. On March 2, 2016 industry groups Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) and Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) released a consultation paper on “The need for harmonised EU legislation on food contact materials.” In their paper, ACE and FPE outline the situation for packaging manufacturers regarding the types of food contact materials (FCM) with no EU-wide regulation (i.e. non-harmonized FCMs). In the case of lacking EU-wide regulation, national pieces of legislation are consulted, the report states. However, these are often “limited in scope, outdated or not suitable for the relevant material at hand.” Thus, “this can lead to a situation where materials can be legally placed on the market although there is no legal process for compliance with the food safety principle as these rules are simply missing,” the report further states. The consequences of this situation for packaging manufacturers include handling legislation of 28 different Member States (challenges are e.g. access to legal texts, language barriers), ineffective mutual recognition of different Member State standards, distortion of the internal packaging market in the EU, and loss of consumer trust....
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/industry-pushes-for-eu-wide-regulation

Compendium on analytical methods to enforce restrictions published  ข่าวโดย..Su ECHA/NI/16/15 ; The compendium describes over 100 recommended analytical methods that inspectors in Europe can use when checking compliance with REACH restrictions in Annex XVII. The compendium is also useful for companies facing inspections. Helsinki, 31 March 2016 - The compendium will be used in the ongoing REACH-EN-FORCE 4 (REF-4) project which is coordinated by ECHA's Enforcement Forum. In this project, enforcement authorities in 29 European countries inspect restrictions of 14 substances which may be found in consumer products, such as textiles, toys or jewellery or used professionally, for glues or brazing fillers.....
http://echa.europa.eu/view-article/-/journal_content/title/compendium-on-analytical-methods-to-enforce-restrictions-published

Progress in identifying and managing risks of substances that matter most  ข่าวโดย..Su ECHA/NA/2016/13 ; The SVHC Roadmap implementation is now well underway and the results of the work start to be visible. More than 400 substances are under scrutiny by Member States and ECHA. Helsinki, 4 April 2016 - The second report of the SVHC Roadmap implementation is now available and describes the main achievements and progress of the activities covered under the SVHC Roadmap to 2020 (screening, generation of data and assessment and risk management option analysis (RMOA)) in 2015. It also provides an update on regulatory risk management activities under the REACH and CLP regulations and looks ahead to activities planned for 2016....
http://echa.europa.eu/view-article/-/journal_content/title/progress-in-identifying-and-managing-risks-of-substances-that-matter-most

BPA warning label in California  ข่าวโดย..Su April 7, 2016 ; State of California takes emergency action on BPA and proposes temporary uniform warning label for food cans and bottles as deadline for Prop65 compliance approaches. In an article published on March 18, 2016 by news provider Chemical Watch, editor Kelly Franklin reports on a proposed warning label for bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in consumer products considered by the State of California, U.S.. In May 2015, California added BPA to the list of chemicals known to cause reproductive harm under Proposition 65 (Prop65) (FPF reported). According to Prop65, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of products containing BPA must provide consumers with a “clear and reasonable warning” regarding the chemical’s hazards by May 11, 2016. In order to ensure compliance with the Prop65 deadline, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) decided to take emergency action and proposed a temporary uniform “point-of-sale” warning label for canned and bottled foods and beverages reading: “WARNING: Many cans containing foods and beverages sold here have epoxy linings used to avoid microbial contamination and extend shelf life. Lids on jars and caps on bottles may also have epoxy linings. Some of these linings can leach small amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) into the food or beverage. BPA is a chemical known to the State of California to cause harm to the female reproductive system. For more information go to: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/BPA.”......
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/bpa-warning-label-in-california

China releases work plan to improve chemical handling safety  ข่าวโดย..Su The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) today released a working plan to improve the safety and supervision of hazardous chemicals. It aims to increase efforts to promote the Regulations on the Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals in China (Decree 591) in line with its 13th five-year plan, also released this week. The working plan requires provincial safety departments to cooperate with government authorities and take responsibility for ensuring safety within their province....
https://chemicalwatch.com/45879/china-releases-work-plan-to-improve-chemical-handling-safety

Further advice on how to use QSARs for REACH registration  ข่าวโดย..Su ECHA has updated its practical guide on how to use and report (Q)SARs. The updated guide includes, for example, examples on how to check the reliability of QSAR predictions from some of the most commonly used QSAR software; instructions on how to check that the conditions for adapting standard testing are met; and a list of QSAR software that can be used to generate information related to REACH endpoints.....
http://europeanchemicalsagency.musvc1.net/e/t?q=q%3dbB0K%26H%3dE%26s%3dMbG%26t%3dEbGDH%26Q%3dqy8L_1Vgv_Bf_6wbU_FB_1Vgv_Aks9qf.sQ1t47.nz_6wbU_FB5nsS-jw8Elqs_NZXd_Xo-_weyY_7tFxz6Jjq_qKwo7jfysJ3_weyY_7tPryzA_1Vgv_AktQ1yvA1-frRrhs-Kw-m3S-3t-9On-v771x-tK1-ws7lm-6Apn7P1f8Exs%26r%3dI4x090.ssP

Modernised TSCA could be global `gold standard', says Dooley  ข่าวโดย..Su 24 March 2016 - ACC head says other countries should adopt North American approach. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) wants to work with its Canadian counterparts to promote a “North American model” of regulation to other countries considering enhancing their chemicals management systems. Speaking at the GlobalChem industry conference in Washington, DC, this week, ACC president and CEO Cal Dooley said if the TSCA modernisation bill is passed and implemented, it would be a “gold standard internationally”. And, he added, one that countries like Brazil, India, China and Taiwan should be encouraged to adopt....
https://chemicalwatch.com/45912/modernised-tsca-could-be-global-gold-standard-says-dooley

Washington enforces state chemical limits for first time : Testing identifies children’s jewellery containing up to 98% cadmium  ข่าวโดย..Su 23 March 2016 / Toys - Washington state’s Department of Ecology has identified violations to its state-level chemical content limits in children’s products, for the first time. Recent testing found five breaches of the chemical content requirements outlined in its Children’s Safe Products Act (CSPA). These included four jewellery items sold together with clothing that contained extremely high levels of cadmium, between 39% and 98%. The Act requires manufacturers to report the presence in children’s products of chemicals of concern. It also sets limits for certain substances in these products, including a 40 ppm limit for cadmium....
https://chemicalwatch.com/45835/washington-enforces-state-chemical-limits-for-first-time

Echa, JRC and RIVM publish nanoform grouping strategy  ข่าวโดย..Su 24 March 2016 / Europe, Risk assessment, Nanomaterials - Grouping different forms of a nanomaterial for read-across requires high quality physico-chemical data on each and every nanoform, according to a joint paper by scientists at Echa, the EU's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Together, they have developed a stepwise grouping strategy for nanoforms. The paper's authors predict the approach will form a "cornerstone" of future guidance on their hazard assessment "at EU and OECD level". A substance's nanoforms have the same chemical identity but different physico-chemical properties, resulting, for example, from surface modification, size distribution and particle shape....
https://chemicalwatch.com/45909/echa-jrc-and-rivm-publish-nanoform-grouping-strategy

SUPREME COURT: States launch another attack on EPA mercury rule  ข่าวโดย..S Robin Bravender, E&E reporter ; Greenwire: Friday, March 18, 2016 - States want the Supreme Court to take another crack at U.S. EPA's rule to limit power plants' mercury emissions. In the latest of a series of legal attacks on the Obama administration's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, a 20-state coalition is asking the high court to toss the rule. Its argument: After the Supreme Court ruled last year that the mercury rule was illegal because EPA hadn't properly considered costs, a lower court decision to keep the rule on the books was also illegal....
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060034289

Commission decides against EU nano register  ข่าวโดย..Su European Commission declines EU register for nanomaterials and confirms that new information requirements for nanomaterials under REACH will not be introduced before 2018. In an article published on March 16, 2016 by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, editor Geraint Roberts reports on the European Commission’s (EC) decision not to establish an EU register for nanomaterials. At a meeting of the EC’s Competent Authority Subgroup on Nanomaterials (CASG-nano), the Commission announced that instead of creating an EU nano register, it prefers listing existing information on nanomaterials on a public website. The EC has been weighing different options for increasing transparency on nanomaterial use in Europe in the scope of an impact assessment (FPF reported). The website or “observatory” shall be developed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under its 2015-2018 nanomaterials workplan. Further, the EC confirmed that changes in information requirements for nanomaterials under the European regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) will not be enacted before the 2018 registration deadline...
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/commission-decides-against-eu-nano-register

Landmark ruling on REACH registration process  ข่าวโดย..Su ECHA board of appeal decides that agency has failed to sufficiently check the completeness of a substance dossier before handing out a registration number. In an article published on March 17, 2016 news provider Chemical Watch reports on a ruling by the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Board of Appeal (BoA) stating that ECHA “has failed to adequately examine the completeness of [a registrant’s] dossier.” In the case at hand, the lead registrant of the substance charcoal claimed that another registrant’s dossier for the same substance should be deemed invalid because it lacked “basic physicochemical and toxicological data, including any vertebrate animal studies, and is devoid of all relevant content.” Therefore, said registrant should not have received a registration number by ECHA, the lead registrant argued. ECHA stated that the dossier “completeness check process is fully automated from the point of receipt of the registration dossier to the issuing of the decision.” Further, “the IT system used for performing completeness checks is not designed to verify whether the text inserted by registrants in their registration dossiers is meaningful but merely if information exists,” ECHA added...
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/landmark-ruling-on-reach-registration-process

How to identify which risk management measures to communicate for mixtures  ข่าวโดย..Su Formulators need to communicate safe use information for mixtures under REACH. One approach is to use sector specific information developed by downstream industry organisations. Another approach, particularly when the first option is not available, is to identify the lead components and derive safe use information for mixtures using the exposure scenarios. A Cefic/VCI task force has published a practical guide on lead component identification (LCID) methodology they have developed for this purpose. This is a cross-stakeholder project under the CSR/ES Roadmap. A free workshop will take place on 4 May 2016 in Brussels to support the publication. Registration will close by 21 April or when the seating capacity is reached (100 participants).
Cefic/VCI guide (http://www.cefic.org/Documents/IndustrySupport/REACH-Implementation/Guidance-and-Tools/REACH-Practical-Guide-on-Safe-Use-Information-for-Mixtures-under-REACH-The-LCID-Methodology.pdf) | Cefic workshop (http://www.cefic.org/newsroom/Events/Workshop-on-Safe-Use-Information-for-Mixtures-under-REACH-and-the-Lead-Component-Identification-LCID-Methodology/) | DUCC publication (http://www.ducc.eu/documents/Sector%20specific%20approaches%20towards%20developing%20and%20communicating%20information%20for%20the%20safe%20use%20of%20mixtures%20FINAL.pdf)...

Chlorinated solvents next up under TSCA work plan  ข่าวโดย..Su 24 March 2016 / Risk assessment, Priority substances ; EPA priorities include Section 6 rules, Snurs for existing substances. Evaluation of several chlorinated solvents under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan programme is a priority for the US EPA Office of Pollution and Prevention (OPPT) this year. Initiation of the substances’ review was announced as part of OPPT director Wendy Cleland-Hamnett’s update on the agency’s 2016 priorities, presented yesterday at the industry conference GlobalChem. Problem formulations are being developed for the following chlorinated solvents: 1,1-dichloroethane; 1,2-dichloroethane; trans-1,2-dichloroethylene; 1,1,2-trichloroethane; carbon tetrachloride; and tetrachloroethylene (Perc).....
https://chemicalwatch.com/45913/chlorinated-solvents-next-up-under-tsca-work-plan

Chemicals of concern in paper and board food packaging  ข่าวโดย..Su March 21, 2016 - Danish consumer council finds fluorocarbons and mineral oils in paper and board packaging in direct contact with food. In an article published on March 18, 2016 the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals informs about a testing campaign analyzing 16 different types of cardboard and paper packaging in direct contact with foods such as ready-made cakes, oatmeal, crispbread, flour, pizza dough, lasagna sheets, and sliced cheese. The packaging was tested for fluorocarbons, bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7)) and other bisphenols, phthalates, and mineral oils. The tested paper and board from ready-made cakes contained levels of fluorocarbons far above the limit of 0.35 µg per cm2 food packaging as recommended by the Danish Minister of the Environment and Food in 2015 (FPF reported). Packaging of other products, e.g. flour, oatmeal, crispbread, pizza dough, and sliced cheese, contained fluorocarbons at levels below or only slightly above the recommended limit. Seven of the 16 tested packaging samples contained mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in excess of the limit values recommended by Germany (i.e. 26 mg/kg for MOSH and 6 mg/kg for MOAH). Bisphenols were not detected in the packaging samples and most packaging was free from phthalates....
http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/chemicals-of-concern-in-paper-and-board-food-packaging

Notify interest in four active substances used in disinfectants  ข่าวโดย..Su ECHA/NI/16/09 ; The interested parties for four substance/product-type combinations in the biocides review programme have withdrawn their interest to get them approved. Notify ECHA by February 2017 to keep the combinations in the approval process.
Helsinki, 29 February 2016 – The specific substance/product-type combinations are: Citric acid used in disinfectants, Chlorine dioxide generated from tetrachlorodecaoxide complex (TCDO) by acidification used in disinfectants, Pyridine-2-thiol 1-oxide, sodium salt (sodium pyrithione) used in disinfectants, Cetylpyridinium chloride used in disinfectants....

http://echa.europa.eu/view-article/-/journal_content/title/notify-interest-in-four-active-substances-used-in-disinfectants

Nanoclay migration from FCM  ข่าวโดย..Su February 26, 2016, Author: Ksenia Groh - In a scientific study published on January 11, 2016 in the peer-reviewed journal Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, Yolanda Echegoyen and colleagues from the Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Zaragoza, Spain, investigate the migration of nanoclay from two low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-nanocomposite bags. Polymer nanocomposites consist of an organic polymer and an inert nanoscale filler, the latter added to modify the physical characteristics of the former. Nanopellets of clay (bentonite) in particular are widely used to improve gas barrier properties. In the EU and in Switzerland, some nano-specific provisions are included in the legislation for agricultural products, food and feed. In particular, a nanomaterial has to undergo case-by-case evaluation before placement on the market, even if the equivalent bulk material is already authorized.....

http://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/nanoclay-migration-from-fcm