Abstract
Food contact materials (FCMs) are intended to be in contact with food during production, handling or storage. They are one possible source of food contamination, because chemicals may migrate from the material into the food. More than 6000 FCM substances appear on regulatory or non-regulatory lists. Some of these substances have been linked to chronic diseases, whilst many others lack (sufficient) toxicological evaluation. The aim of this study was the identification of known FCM substances that are also considered to be chemicals of concern (COCs). The investigation was based on the following three FCM lists: (1) the 2013 Pew Charitable Trusts database of direct and indirect food additives legally used in the United States (or Pew for short), (2) the current European Union-wide positive list for plastic FCMs (or Union for short), and (3) the 2011 non-plastics FCM substances database published by EFSA (or ESCO for short). These three lists of food contact substances (Pew, Union, ESCO lists) were compared with the Substitute It Now! (SIN) list 2.1, which includes chemicals fulfilling the criteria listed in article 57 of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH), and the TEDX database on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. A total of 175 chemicals used in FCMs were identified as COCs. Fifty-four substances present on the SIN list 2.1 were also found on the Union and/or ESCO lists. Twenty-one of those 54 substances are candidates for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), and six of these 21 are listed on Annex XIV and intended for phase-out under REACH. In conclusion, COCs used in FCMs were identified and information about their applications, regulatory status and potential hazards was included.
Highlights
Chemical exposures have been linked to several chronic diseases, including metabolic and reproductive disorders and cancer (Sharpe & Irvine 2004; Norman et al 2013)
The use of these chemicals in areas covered under REACH requires authorisation which must be completed before the sunset date. ● The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) list The TEDX list contains 1518 entries based on 906 compounds (TEDX list 2013)
All 119 Food contact materials (FCMs) chemicals that were present on the TEDX list are suspected endocrine disruptors and 92 of the 96 FCM substances from the Substitute It Now! (SIN) list 2.1 were classified as Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and/ or CMR
Summary
Chemical exposures have been linked to several chronic diseases, including metabolic and reproductive disorders and cancer (Sharpe & Irvine 2004; Norman et al 2013). More than 6000 chemicals are compiled in FCM inventory lists in the European Union (EU) and the United States (ESCO list 2011; Neltner et al 2011, 2013; Oldring et al 2014) These lists do not distinguish between substances used in the production of FCMs and substances listed but not used. In 2012, EFSA’s Scientific Cooperation (ESCO) working group published an inventory with nearly 3000 entries of substances and mixtures used in non-plastic FCMs (ESCO list 2011). This list was established to anticipate emergency situations caused by the detection of any of these substances in food. A recent publication by the Pew Charitable Trusts estimated that as many as 80% of FCS are insufficiently evaluated regarding their toxicity (Neltner et al 2013)
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