{"id":547,"date":"2024-03-01T17:29:27","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T17:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/01\/certain-types-of-forever-chemicals-will-no-longer-be-used-in-us-food-packaging-fda-says\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T17:29:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T17:29:27","slug":"certain-types-of-forever-chemicals-will-no-longer-be-used-in-us-food-packaging-fda-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/01\/certain-types-of-forever-chemicals-will-no-longer-be-used-in-us-food-packaging-fda-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Certain types of \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 will no longer be used in US food packaging, FDA says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Certain kinds of greaseproofing \u201cforever\u201d chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, will no longer be used in food packaging in the US, the US Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The FDA\u2019s food studies have shown that food packaging materials like fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and take-out pizza boxes were a major source of dietary exposure to certain types of PFAS, hormone-disrupting chemicals that may persist in the body and the environment. <\/p>\n

PFAS have been linked to a variety of health effects including changes in immune and liver function, obesity, diabetes, certain cancers and lower birth weights. <\/p>\n

While health and environmental advocates cheered the new announcement, they noted that companies were already facing pressure from state bans to get PFAS out of consumer products, including food packaging. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am enthusiastically supportive of getting PFAS out of food packaging,\u201d said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics and population health at NYU Langone Health in New York City, who has studied the health impacts of PFAS. \u201cWe are talking about a decent chunk of ongoing exposure.\u201d <\/p>\n

Twelve states have moved to ban or phase out PFAS in food packaging, said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs for the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really the culmination of state action to drive PFAS out of the marketplace and, particularly, to drive PFAS out of food packaging, where alternatives have existed for a long time,\u201d Benesh said. <\/p>\n

The American Chemistry Council, a trade association, said in a statement Wednesday that \u201cPFAS are a diverse universe of chemistries that are critical to many products families rely on every day, including semiconductors and electronics, advanced batteries, modern healthcare applications, and renewable energy. All PFAS are not the same. Individual chemistries have different physical, chemical, and toxicological properties, as well as differing uses. <\/p>\n

\u201cACC supports strong, science-based regulation of PFAS chemistries and will continue to work with state and federal policymakers on this important issue.\u201d <\/p>\n

In 2020, the FDA announced that chemical manufacturers would voluntarily phase out certain kinds of PFAS for use in food packaging within three years, after a scientific review concluded that these chemicals could linger in the body longer than anticipated. <\/p>\n

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