BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment FAQ of 22 June 2017
Unless countermeasures have been taken, printing inks contain substances which can transfer to food and be ingested by consumers. For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMELshort forGerman Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) has presented the so-called “printing ink regulation” in a draft to amend the Consumer Goods Ordinance.
In the following paragraphs, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has compiled some frequently asked questions about the possible health risks of printing inks and primary aromatic amines in food contact materials and products.
[Accordion] Frequently Asked Questions about Printing Inks and Primary Aromatic Amines in Food Contact Materials
According to information provided by the European Printing Ink Association, close to 5,000 substances are used in printing inks. As only insufficient toxicological data is available for 90 % of these substances, if at all, it is not currently possible to comprehensively assess the health risk of the use of printing inks on food contact materials.
The possible health risks posed by the transfer of printing inks to food depend on the properties of each substance. For this reason, the substances must be assessed from a health point of view and their transfer to foods regulated accordingly.
For example, primary aromatic amines (PAA) can transfer to foods as impurities of pigments used for printing packaging materials or even paper napkins. Several PAA have carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. If they have contact over longer periods, PAA can transfer to food and then be ingested by humans.
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends that the limit value for PAA classified as carcinogenic is reviewed. Consumers should come into as little contact as possible with these substances. From the point of view of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the ALARA principle should apply to these PAA, i.e. their occurrence in materials that have contact with food should be as low as technically possible. To supplement the existing total limit value for PAA, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends an additional restriction of the transfer of the individual substances classified as carcinogenic. The transfer of these PAA to food and/or food simulants should not be detectable with an analytical detection limit of 0.002 milligrams per kilogram of food or food simulant, which is five times less than the current total limit value. This recommendation is followed in the latest draft of a regulation for the amendment of the consumer products regulation ("printing ink regulation").
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also recommends that only pigments are used which do not contain any carcinogenic aromatic amine components.
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommendations to avoid the transfer of PAA from azo pigments to food are aimed primarily at management authorities and manufacturers. Fundamentally, the option exists of avoiding the use of printed paper packagings or napkins (colour range yellow-orange-red) when storing foods in the household over longer periods.
More information on printing inks and primary aromatic amines in food contact materials at the BfR website
http://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/primary-aromatic-amines-from-printed-food-contact-materials-such-as-napkins-or-bakery-bags.pdf
About the BfR
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMELshort forGerman Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) in Germany. It advises the Federal Government and Federal Laender on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.
This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.