Silicone is used in a wide array of products including bakeware, cosmetics, personal care products, infant and toddler products, and food packaging. However, there is limited data and scientific understanding of the exposure pathways and health effects from the variety of chemical makeups in silicones and their different uses. Studies have shown that certain silicone constituents leach into food leading to potential exposures via ingestion.
In this webinar Dr. Birgit Geueke, Scientific Officer at the Food Packaging Forum, discussed her publication, Dossier on Silicones. She focused her presentation on the use of silicone in food contact materials (FCM) and the associated health effects. Silicones are a highly versatile class of polymers. Silicone-based food contact materials include fluids, rubbers and resins, in addition to being used as additives in plastic. During this webinar areas of application and current regulations were covered, in addition to the results on migration, exposure, and the toxicology of silicones.
Featured Speaker
Dr. Birgit Geueke holds a doctorate degree in Biology. In 2013 she joined the Food Packaging Forum (FPF) as scientific officer. At the FPF she is involved in research projects and has the responsibility for the publicly available dossier articles which provide easily accessible background information about food contact materials and food contact chemicals. Dossier topics that have been covered in the past include, e.g., “Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS)”, “Silicones”, “Can Coatings”, “Per- and Polyfluroalkyl Substances” and “Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons.” Before joining the FPF, she worked as a scientist in the fields of environmental microbiology, biocatalysis, and biochemistry at the Research Center Julich, Germany, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).
This webinar was moderated by Karen Wang, PhD, director of CHE. It lasted for 30 minutes and was recorded for our call and webinar archive.