Most notably, a European Food Safety Authority safety assessment published in May 2021 pointed to genotoxicity concerns, as suggested by previous research. Genotoxicity is the ability of chemicals to damage genetic information such as DNA, which may lead to cancer.

By September, demand in the construction sector had significantly increased; however, resurgent cases of virus hindered the anticipated recovery in demand. However, due to a severe fall in market fundamentals in some end-use areas, its prices had significantly faded by quarter-end. Delays in a number of commercial projects, followed by a poor recovery in the downstream automotive market, were identified as primary causes of the protracted recovery curve.