The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to ban three chemicals that are used in pizza packaging boxes and other food packaging.
The three perfluorinated compounds proposed to be banned are - Diethanolamine salts of mono- and bis phosphates, Pentanoic acid, and Perfluoroalkyl. All these substances are kinds of perfluoroalkyl ethyl.
The plan to ban perfluoroalkyl ethyl type of food packaging comes following a petition filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Food Safety, Breast Cancer Fund, the Center for Environmental Health, Clean Water Action, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Children's Environmental Health Network, Environmental Working Group, and Improving Kids' Environment.
Perfluoroalkyl ethyl is used in food contact substances (FCSs). They serve as oil and water repellants for paper and paperboard that come in contact with fatty food products. The use of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) would require authorization from the Food Contact Notification Process, which would need to address FDA's safety concerns.
Before safety issues cropped up, FDA had permitted the use of PFCs as grease-proofing agents. These permissions include the food additive regulation for long-chain PFCs which was sanctioned prior to 2000. This rule will now be revoked.
In 2010, the FDA recognized safety concerns related to the use of PFCs through a detailed review and then collaborated with the food industry to stop the distribution of the long-chain PFCs, which were most commonly used in food packaging. By 1 October 2011, manufacturers had voluntarily stopped distribution of these long chain PFCs.
The final rule will come into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The process also includes window for filing objections and demands for public hearing.
The move from FDA is being welcomed by health groups. National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) director Erik Olson was quoted by Food Safety News as saying: "The FDA's ban is an important first step -- but just a first step -- toward improving the safety of our food supply. Now it should act on our petition to ban the seven other chemicals we believe -- and government agencies such as the toxicology program at the National Institutes of Health have found -- cause cancer."
