Establishment of a reference collection of substances and an analytical handbook of reference data to support enforcement of EC regulations on food contact materials

Abstract

A collection has been made of monomers and other starting substances that are required as analytical standards for enforcement of European Community legislation on food contact materials. The substances have been analysed by mass spectrometry and appropriate chromatographic methods to indicate the presence of impurities. The collection has been supplemented by a database of infra‐red and mass spectra, and a handbook that collates various information to assist enforcement laboratories in the identification of plastics articles and the selection of appropriate methods of analysis where these are available.