This Handbook provides essential practical information for State Control Laboratories and for others concerned with ensuring compliance with European Community Directive 90/128 relating to plastics materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs. The Handbook begins with a chapter giving practical advice on the sampling of retail packaging, determining the identity of the plastics and thus ascertaining which monomer residues are likely to be present. For every monomer or starting substance listed in 90/128, Annex A, there is an entry in the Handbook giving the structure, formulae, CAS, PM number and trivial name, together with information on physical characteristics, storage, stability and safety. Information is provided on known applications of the substances and the food contact uses of the derived plastics materials. There is a brief description of the analytical approach for testing compliance with SML or QM limits, and references to the published literature as well as indications of laboratories presently contracted by BCR to undertake method development. Infrared spectra and electron ionization mass spectra are provided in a standard format for each substance and, in some cases, the IR spectra of the parent polymers are given. Most of the 166 substances listed in the Handbook will be made available upon request as reference standards as either the pure substance or as a calibrant solution.