Recently (2005), the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) issued a toxicological evaluation of organotin compounds and suggested a tolerable daily intake (TDI) as low as 0.25 µg/kg bodyweight for the sum of four organotin compounds (TBT, DBT, TPT and DOT), corresponding to a specific migration limit (SML) of 6 µg/kg.

Research at DFVF focus on developing the first organotin multimethod capable of meeting the new limits in plastics (PVC and aliphatic polyurethanes) and in silicone, which is performed by GC-ICPMS.  The project includes a screening and identification of reaction and degradation products that have not formerly been reported. The data from enforcement surveys are used to assess human exposure via food contact materials and are compared with present recommendations for tolerable intake.