Non-food legislation – March 2022

Hazardous substances – rules and regulations in the EU
The submission of the Annex XV restriction report on BPA by Germany has been postponed to 7 October 2022. The restriction proposal by five EU countries covering PFASs has also been delayed until January 2023.
The EC has opened a consultation on adding a number of new/updated methods to Regulation 440/2008. This regulation lists the approved methods for testing chemicals under REACH.
FPF reports on the Court of Justice decision that GenX chemicals are rightly classified as SVHCs under REACH. The EC has published a report (6.6 MB) on the use of PVC in the context of a non-toxic environment.
ECHA has updated its recommendations to help companies improve their registration dossiers. ECHA has also announced that the mapping of potentially harmful chemicals is on target to meet the goal to assess all registered substances by 2027.

Hazardous substances – rules and regulations in Singapore, Switzerland and the US
Singapore: SGS reports that the government has notified (107 kB) the WTO of a proposal to regulate five hazardous substances. Switzerland: SGS also reports that the government has further aligned its chemical restrictions under ORRChem with those of REACH and has added eight substances to its Candidate List of SVHCs. US: In a recent article, SGS gives an overview of the US states that have introduced bills to regulate PFAS in consumer goods. FPF reports that New York is proposing stricter limits on chemicals in packaging. Keller and Heckman reports that California has added perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals and is requesting data on Bisphenol S (BPS) for possible listing. Prop 65 is a right-to-know law that requires individuals to receive a clear and reasonable warning before being exposed to certain chemicals.

Health warnings and packaging of (veterinary) medicines
The EC has opened a consultation on transitional rules for the packaging and labelling of veterinary medicines. Belgium has sent draft regulations to the EC stipulating that the invented name of a medicinal product may not create confusion.
France has sent draft regulations to the EC on the packaging of products containing nitrous oxide and on affixing a statement to each unit packet of these products.
The new ASTM standard D8441/D8441M establishes an international symbol indicating that a product contains intoxicating cannabinoids.

Possible health effects of plastic and phthalates - research
A University of Vermont study, published (abstract) in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that exposure to phthalates may increase children's risk to develop cancer.
According to NTNU researchers, it is impossible to prevent children from ingesting microplastics. In an article (1.51 MB) in Environmental Health Perspectives the researchers summarise what various researchers have found out so far and discuss the plastics’ connection with pregnancy and children’s health.
FPF reports on three studies investigating the association between diet and endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure.
WUR researchers have developed a mathematical framework to determine the risks of microplastics to humans and the environment.
 

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