This news article about how Styrene, Used in Packaging, May Be Added to Prop 65 List, is brought to you by wholefoodsmagazine.com.
Polystyrene, a plastic utilized in everything from yogurt containers to foam packaging, may soon be found on the list of known carcinogens maintained by California under Proposition 65.
The state has filed a notice of intent to list styrene, the organic compound used to create polystyrene, following failed attempts to do so in the past.
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known as Prop 65, dictates that California businesses must disclose the use of any chemical on a list that now numbers around 800. Each of these chemicals has been determined to increase the risk of cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm in humans.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)’s past attempts to list styrene were blocked. In 2009, a California judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to class styrene as a carcinogen, and a later attempt to list the chemical was withdrawn. Then, a federal judge decided in 2013 to allow the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to list styrene in its 12th Report on Carcinogens as a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen.” Now, perhaps with new momentum, OEHHA is trying again.
To learn more about how Styrene, Used in Packaging, May Be Added to Prop 65 List, please follow the wholefoodsmagazine.com link above. Please contact Nexreg for Prop 65 Compliance Services.
