Abstract
This paper focuses on chemicals found in plastics and which are regulated by the Food Sanitation Law for food containers and packaging. It describes toxicity levels and regulation standards and offers some reports on chemicals still being discharged into the environment.
Chemicals that are regulated by the Food Sanitation Law are still currently being used in various consumer products for general purpose. They are used most often in plastics because of their low cost. Nevertheless, their use is restricted for food containers and packaging.
Due to changes on the international front, it is expected that controls will be enforced on these chemicals from now on. These would be similar to certain EU directives such as Restrictions on the use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) . However, for the time being, it is important to prevent any contamination diffusion of hazardous substances used in the past, up until now.
At the moment, it is necessary to develop a control system for what gets discharged into the environment, especially for those chemicals that are high-risk and which are being used in large quantities.
