Safety Principle
Evaluation of the potential health risk of a substance based on its chemical structure and estimated exposure level allows for a screening of compounds with no specific toxicological data. This ttc is used in the food packaging industry to determine if the migration of an unknown or unstudied substance from a container into a product requires further testing. It provides a de minimis value below which there is no reason for concern.
Risk Category
Chemicals are assigned to one of several classes based on their molecular complexity and known toxicity of similar structures.
Application Standard
Sourcing packaging materials for direct food contact requires a thorough assessment of all potential migrants to ensure consumer safety. When a substance has no established specific migration limit, the ttc provides a conservative threshold for the assessment of its safety. Analytical chemists use this value to interpret the results of migration studies where trace amounts of unidentified compounds are detected.
If the concentration remains below the established limit, the material is considered safe for the specific application. This approach avoids the need for expensive and time consuming animal studies for substances present at very low levels. It allows for a tiered approach to safety assessments in the supply chain.
