{"id":15881,"date":"2021-03-05T20:36:54","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T01:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/?p=15881"},"modified":"2021-08-31T16:58:35","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T20:58:35","slug":"ri-legislative-action-urged-on-forever-chemicals-in-food-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/ri-legislative-action-urged-on-forever-chemicals-in-food-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"RI legislative action urged on ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image credit: Christopher Williams on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With mounting evidence about the dangers of exposure to PFAS, renewed efforts are underway in Rhode Island to enforce PFAS regulations. State representatives have proposed, for the fourth time, a bill that would ban PFAS in food packaging, and another bill to set a state drinking water standard for the third time. Both were heard by the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on February 26th and are held for further study.<\/p>\n

Studies have linked these \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 to cancers, thyroid disorders, low birth rates and immune system impairments, said Dr. Laurel Schaider, STEEP scientist and researcher at the Silent Spring Institute. PFAS easily get into food from packaging, she said, pointing to a study she conducted that found evidence of increased levels of the compounds in the bodies of people who eat more takeout food and microwave popcorn. \u201cWe need a class-based solution that phases out nonessential uses of PFAS,\u201d Schaider said in support of the bills.<\/p>\n

Dr. Angela Slitt, a toxicologist and STEEP scientist at the University of Rhode Island, said PFAS are so difficult for the body to metabolize because of the uniquely strong bonds between fluorine and carbon in the long-chain compounds, and that the chemicals are passed through the human body from mother to child, putting babies and infants at risk. \u201cThese are chemicals that cross the placenta,\u201d she said. \u201cThey very easily get into breast milk. They easily get into cow\u2019s milk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many retailers and restaurants, such as Trader Joe\u2019s, Whole Foods Market, and Chipotle, have already taken action to stop using food packaging with PFAS coatings. However, the Consumer Brands Association urged legislators to push back the deadline for compliance in the Rhode Island PFAS food packing bill from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022. These industry members claim that with the COVID pandemic, switching packaging would put a strain on the food supply chain. State regulators argued against a delay, saying that with more people opting for takeout over in-restaurant dining, the need for safer packaging is even greater now. \u201cThere is movement in the marketplace. So, it can be done,\u201d said Newport Representative Lauren Carson.<\/p>\n

Read full story<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rhode Island regulators have renewed efforts to pass legislation to ban PFAS in food packaging and set a state drinking water standard. STEEP scientists Dr. Laurel Schaider and Dr. Angela Slitt speak out in favor of the proposed bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002,"featured_media":15884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15887,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881\/revisions\/15887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}