FDA to BAN PFAS! The Alternative is rePAPER’s PFAS-free Packaging!

 

On July 31st, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified certain types of PFAS to be highly hazardous and decided to phase out the production and use of the material in the US. Let’s find out why the organization disapproves PFAS and a safe food packaging alternative rePAPER suggests.


“Forever Chemical” PFAS, Accumulated in Our Bodies

PFCs (Poly- and Per-fluorinated Compounds) refer to the group of materials which their hydrogen in hydrocarbon is substituted to fluorine. Among PFCs, PFAS(Per– and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) has been widely used from the surface coating for cookware, surgical gowns and drapes, cell phones, semiconductor, low-emission vehicles, clothing, furniture to fast food and take-out food packaging.

However, certain types of PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS had already been banned in the US market due to their notorious effects on humans, causing hormone changes, increased cholesterol, weakened the immune system, certain types of cancer and low birth weight. Moreover, they do not degrade but remain intact in the environment.

Unfortunately, PFAS is a common material used in food packaging as well as in many other industries and consumer products that it is highly likely that all of us have already been exposed to the material through our daily life. In fact, a Harvard research team published a report that PFAS could be accumulated in an infant by breastfeeding on Environmental Science & Technology in 2015. In addition, the US CDC stated that PFAS was detected in the blood of 97% of American.

 

The Hazardous Chemicals Remaining in Drinking Water and Water

As much as its nickname ‘Forever Chemical’ tells, PFAS is known to accumulate in the environment and human body. As the PFAS materials have long half-lives, they end up flowing into the environment, polluting water, ingredients, and air we intake. In fact, an environmental advocacy group EWG reported that they found over 700 places polluted by PFAS in 49 states in the US and up to 110 million people may have drunk the polluted water. Experts emphasize on how the negative effects of PFAS on our immune system and antibody reaction towards vaccines would put us in danger during this COVID-19 pandemic.


< https://www.cbsnews.com >


Acknowledging the seriousness, the State governments made some legal movements to protect the residents. 

Other states and cities including New Jersey, Minnesota, Michigan are preparing guidelines in order to regulate PFAS in drinking water.


FDA Put an End to the Safety Issue! No More PFAS!

Finally, FDA concluded a voluntary agreement with Archroma, AGC Chemicals Americas, Daikin America who have been manufacturing 6:2 FTOH in July and announced its plan to phase out PFAS from the US market. The decision was followed by the report released in the beginning of 2020 about 6:2 FTOH of PFAS that has been used as food contact material. The report delivers the findings from rodent studies that PFAS can harm humans and the environment. According to FDA’s announcement, the manufacturers will control the production and sales of certain types of PFAS as of January in 2021, and eventually completely stops producing the material by 2023. In the meantime, they are required to submit an annual production report to FDA.

 

Hamburger Wrappers, Chicken and Pizza Boxes, Food Packaging with PFAS Right Next to Us

The report entitled ‘Packaged in Pollution: Are food chains using PFAS in packaging?’’ by Illinois PIRG Education Fund, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, Toxic-free Future, and Mind the Store campaign shows the analysis of food packaging from 6 main food chains in the US. Surprisingly, PFAS was detectable from many of food packaging, such as wrappers of Whoppers, chicken nuggets and cookies at Burgerking, paper bags at Wendy, wrappers of BigMac at McDonald’s. Moreover, molded fiber containers so-called ‘environmentally friendly’ packaging such as salad bowls also showed high levels of PFAS.

< https://saferchemicals.org/packaged-in-pollution >

FDA’s announcement put the food chains into a difficult position. Even though they used the PFAS-contained products since they were approved as safe food-contact materials by FDA previously, they are now blamed for providing customers the containers containing carcinogens.


PFAS-free, Safe and Excellent rePAPER’s Food Packaging!

Foods provide essential energy for us to lead a life and joy as well. As the quality of life has increased, people in modern society consider food’s nutrition and hygiene not to mention its taste. Now, the packaging also becomes to be taken into consideration.

As the food delivery and HMR market industries have been vigorously developed, the range of food packaging has become broadened, too. Some materials may make chemicals move from the containers to foods. Especially the ones used for microwave or oven, it is possible that the high temperature destroys the molecular structures or coating layers of packaging and they migrate to foods. Yet, customers have not been fully informed about this instability, but being exposed to the chemicals without knowing.

FDA’s decision this time is recognized as a meaningful step to protect customers’ health from PFAS which has always been controversial for safety issues. Consumers will keep requiring high standards to secure the food’s safety with environment-sound properties for food packaging. Therefore, the world will also need a clear guideline for using PE-coated paper instead of PFAS for grease resistance.

rePAPER’s environmentally friendly coated board, REPA COAT, reaches over 10 of grease resistance according to TAPPI methods and proves none of harmful materials were detected based on REACH’s SVHC. rePAPER’s PFAS-free products are safe to be in contact with foods, are environment-friendly having both material and organic recyclability while fulfilling the requirement as food packaging.

What containers did you use for your foods today? Why don’t we start the eco-friendly consumption that protects ourselves and the environment with rePAPER’s food packaging?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

[Environmental Story in Media] ‘The Minimalists: Less Is Now’ (2021)

Image
“Less is More, Less is Now!” ‘Are you living an intentional life?’  Today, we are going to talk about <The Minimalists: Less is Now(2021)>, a Netflix documentary about giving you a perspective on how having more stuff doesn’t give you more satisfaction and finding the true sense of freedom away from a clutter of stuff. Mediaus | <The Minimalists: Less is Now (2021)> “Less is More” is a phrase that is commonly used to represent minimalism, which means simplicity is rather fulfilling and natural than excessiveness. This phrase can be applied to various fields such as aesthetics, architecture, and fashion. In the documentary, Joshua Milburn, the “Minimalists,” portrays his philosophy on “possessions” through his own biography. Recounting his childhood, he grew up in poverty with a mother who has suffered from substance abuse but with enormous efforts, he was able to become the youngest director at a major corporation with suburban houses, luxury cars, and designer stuff. H...
Read more

[Special Article] Everything About Plastic and Our Choice for Tomorrow 5. Invisible Threat, Microplastics

Image
Other than rice, bread, and water, what do you think we intake every day?   According to the report released by New Castle University in 2019, we eat plastic that is equivalent to a credit card per week. Plastics produced in 2015 were 320 million tons and 146 million tons of them, accounting for 42%, were used for packaging which mostly ended up in the environment as microplastics. Researchers are warning that these can be a greater threat to the ecosystem than the waste that is easily spotted with our bare eyes. How are the microplastics generated and why should we be alert? We will check the definition of microplastics and their hazardousness and how we should act.   What are microplastics? Microplastics are a term for solid plastic particles with functional additives in a size of 100nm – 5 mm and the term was first used by Dr. Richard Thompson in 2004. Depending on how they are produced, microplastics are categorized into primary plastics and secondary plastics. Primary mi...
Read more

Guidelines to Enhance Paper-Based Packaging Recyclability ①

Image
As the environmental awareness has been growing rapidly in the world, ‘resource circulation’ and ‘sustainability’ have been considered as the most important values in every industrial field. In a way to cooperate with this global movement, CEPI, the Confederation of European Paper Industries, released ‘Paper-based Packaging Recyclability Guidelines’ in November, 2019. It provides every subject in a value chain with the considerations in order to enhance the recyclability of paper-based packaging.   Check Points on Each Material for Recycling The main functions of packaging are to prevent a product or food from being lost or spoiled while delivering the information about the item. The primary food packaging especially requires to meet a variety of standards: They must not cause any harm to our health and need to be waterproof or grease resistant to hold different kinds of foods. Paper-based packaging obtains these properties by coating or laminating on base paper. However, the...
Read more