The toxicological and environmental risks from chemicals in food packaging
AERU have recently undertaken a few projects that
have sought to collate and assess the latest evidence on the potential human
health impacts of substances used in food packaging. These projects are outlined
below.
2020-2021: Regulatory support for the risk assessment and re-evaluation of
Bisphenol A as used in food packaging (Ref. GP/EFSA/FIP/2018/02 - Lot 3)
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical manufactured in
significant quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonates and
epoxy resins, and as an additive in plastics. Polycarbonate plastics have a wide
range of applications including food and drink packaging, and food contact
materials. BPA is authorised for use in plastic food contact materials, in
accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, and its subsequent
revisions, on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with
foodstuffs. As there are concerns that BPA could leach into food or drink from
food contact materials and so may have the potential to harm human health, BPA
is currently subject to a specific migration limit (SML) of 0.05 mg kg-1 of
food. The SML is the maximum permitted amount of a substance migrating from the
packaging into food. This limit ensures that the food contact material does not
pose a risk to human health and is an essential tool to help ensure that the
health of all consumers, including the most sensitive populations, are
protected. Periodically, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revisits the
science underpinning the establishment of the SML and undertakes a new
comprehensive risk assessment and re-evaluation of BPA to ensure the SML is fit
for purpose and is based on the latest scientific understanding. AERU, in
collaboration with UH toxicologists, have been working with EFSA to undertake
the groundwork for the latest re-evaluation process.
2019-2020: The toxicological and environmental risks from
chemicals in food packaging (Ref. GP/EFSA/FIP/2018/01 – Lot 3)
It is widely recognised that chemicals from packaging and
other food-contact materials can migrate into the food itself and thus be
ingested by the consumer. Consequently, the monitoring of this migration has
become an integral part of ensuring food safety. There are also concerns that
some chemicals may leach from plastic packaging and pollute the environment and
that, even at very low concentration levels, this may cause environmental
problems particularly for wildlife. AERU are currently undertaking a number of
projects for Governments and their Agencies to consider the extent of the risks
based upon a critical review of existing knowledge.
Publications
- Lewis, K.A. and
Tzilivakis, J. (2019) Implementation of the evidence-based risk assessment
for the re-evaluation of Bisphenol A: preparatory work on cross-sectional
studies. European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy.
Contact
Prof. Kathy Lewis
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