The Food Contact Chemicals Health effect matrix (FCChelix): protocol for a systematic evidence map

<em>Background:</em> Food contact chemicals (FCCs) are known to migrate from food packaging and other food contact articles into food. This leads to human exposure to FCCs, and some FCCs have been linked to human health effects such as chronic and non-communicable diseases. However, a systematic overview of the health effects of FCCs is missing.<br /><em>Objectives:</em> The objective of this study is to systematically map the relations between exposure to FCCs and human health effects within the Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcomes, and Study Design (PECOS) framework.<br /><em>Search strategy and eligibility criteria: </em>We will search PubMed for combinations of search terms related to the identity of the chemical and the epidemiological study design. The references will be screened at the title-and-abstract level, followed by the full-text level. Eligible references will be included according to predefined criteria, further specifying the elements of the applied PECOS framework.<br /><em>Data extraction and coding: </em>Information on human exposure to FCCs will be collected and linked to human health effects according to previously defined data categories and standardized terms. The human health effects will be classified based on the Six Clusters of Disease (SCOD) framework.<br /><em>Synthesis and visualization: </em>Results will be published in a narrative summary, and data will be made available in a freely accessible interactive dashboard, the Food Contact Chemicals Health Effect Matrix (FCChelix).