Non-food legislation – August 2021
EU: REACH, CLP and POPs
The EC has launched a public consultation on the revision of the CLP Regulation. Citizens and organisations are invited to share their views until 15 November 2021. This revision is one of the actions planned in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, adopted under the European Green Deal. In a recent article (956 kB) published in Archives of Toxicology, BfR critically assesses the scientific evidence cited to justify the measures proposed in this EU strategy. ECHA has added eight new substances to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs). ECHA has also published new questions and answers (choose ‘English’) on POPs. RIVM reports that Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have formally announced the intention to submit a restriction proposal for PFAS to ECHA as a first step towards an EU ban on PFAS by restricting the manufacturing, marketing and use of PFAS under REACH. A stakeholder consultation is open until 19 September. FPF reports that during their fourth meeting, the CARACAL subgroup on polymers discussed the grouping of polymers requiring registration under REACH and their joint submission.
Rules and regulations in the United States
The EPA has announced three actions to help reduce the potential risks to the public from PFAS. The actions include proposing first-ever reporting requirements under TSCA for a wide range of PFAS chemicals. The EPA has also published preliminary 2020 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data, including the first-ever reporting on PFAS. The FDA has issued an update on recent activities pertaining to PFAS in food. FPF reports that the State of Maine has passed LD 1503, is prohibiting all uses of PFAS by 2030, except those specifically designated as “currently unavoidable”. By 1 January 2023, any manufacturer of a PFAS-containing product that wishes to sell in Maine must submit a notification including a description of the product and the purpose, amount, and types of PFAS used. The Californian OEHHA has proposed a Proposition 65 safe harbor warning for exposure to glyphosate from consumer products.
Plastics, including micro- and nanoplastics
The EC (378 kB) has launched the CUSP cluster, five new, large-scale research projects to better understand the health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics. The University of Utrecht has announced the launch of MOMENTUM, a Dutch collaboration with the same goal.
In an article (1.85 MB) published in Pharmaceutics, Charité researchers report on the detection of microplastics larger than 50 µm in human placenta and meconium. In an article (2.3 MB) published in Scientific Reports, University of Helsinki researchers report on a new technique to monitor the movement and accumulation of plastics in mice.
RIVM has performed an inventory (1.16 MB) of innovation in waste streams with substances of concern. Seven waste streams including plastics can be considered of highest priority. RIVM will analyse three topics in more depth, including chemical recycling of plastics. In an article (2.77 MB) published in Environmental Science & Technology, ETH Zurich researchers report a high number of substances of potential concern intentionally used in everyday plastic products.
Pharmaceutical matters
A French draft order on the packaging of clinical waste with infection risks has been sent to the EC. ANSI reports that ISO 15223-1, Medical devices – Symbols to be used with information to be supplied by the manufacturer – Part 1: General requirements has been updated.
Universitat Pompeu Fabra research finds that COVID-19 vaccines pre-prepared in syringes for their administration can be safely transported. An article (1.42 MB) about the research is published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
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