For a deeper dive into how and when Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) programs will change and adapt to “New TSCA,” Chemical Watch and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) are offering a series of complimentary webinars on “‘The New TSCA’ — What You Need to Know,” featuring an impressive faculty of TSCA experts representing the perspectives of industry, environmental organizations, and U.S. Federal and State regulatory authorities. The second one in the series, Impacts...
In a June 22, 2016, blog post on The Hill‘s Congress Blog, Lynn L. Bergeson laid out four reasons why the American public has reason to celebrate the signing into law of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, “a comprehensive and vastly improved domestic chemical management law”: Read the full blog post at The Hill: TSCA reform: renewing public confidence in chemical control....
An in-depth memorandum of the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), TSCA Reform: An Analysis of Key Provisions and Fundamental Shifts in the Amended TSCA, includes an initial overview, a summary of information on the timing of various activities under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) as related to enactment and other important milestones, and a more detailed discussion of the changes in Lautenberg relative to TSCA as they relate...
June 21, 2016
nanoIndEx Publishes Guidance Document on Assessment of Personal Exposure to Airborne Nanomaterials
In June 2016, the “Assessment of Individual Exposure to manufactured nanomaterials by means of personal monitors and samples” (nanoIndEx) project published a guidance document entitled Assessment of Personal Exposure to Airborne Nanomaterials. The three-year project was funded under the Safe Implementation of Innovative Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (SIINN) European Research Area Network (ERA-NET). Its aim was to determine the field readiness and usability of the...
In June 2016, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) announced the availability of two reports on the potential use of nanotechnologies in existing food additives and food packaging. FSANZ retained an expert toxicologist to review publicly available scientific literature on whether there is reasonable evidence of health risks associated with oral ingestion of titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, and silver in food. These food additives may contain a proportion of...
On May 25, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would host a half-day preparatory meeting for experts selected to serve as letter peer reviewers for EPA’s Exposure and Use Assessment and Human Health and Environmental Hazard Summary for Five Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) chemicals. Section 6(h) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) directs EPA to issue regulations under Section 6(a) for certain PBT chemical substances that were identified...
On June 9, 2016, European Bioplastics (EUBP) announced the support of a European Parliament (EP) report emphasizing the role of bioplastics in the creation of a circular bioeconomy. The report, produced by Italian MEP Simona Bonafè¨, outlines legislation that is needed to use waste more efficiently to create bio-based materials. Increasing the value of waste by promoting its use to create other bioproducts will help shift the linear bioeconomy to a circular, more efficient,...
On June 13, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2016 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (PGCCA). The PGCCA honors green chemistry technologies that solve climate and environmental problems through creating business opportunities. Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) stated, "these innovations reduce the use of energy, hazardous chemicals and water, while cutting...
June 15, 2016
Presentations Available from International Symposium on Asbestos-Like Fibers from Nanomaterials and Other Advanced Materials
On June 14, 2016, Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) posted the presentations from the April 20, 2016, symposium, “WHO fibres from nanomaterials and other advanced materials: Do we have to tackle a new asbestos problem in OSH?” The goal was to initiate a transdisciplinary debate among representatives from academia, regulatory agencies, industry, and other interested parties in the governance landscape on advanced materials. It was also...
In-House Counsel Beware: TSCA Reform Impacts Everyone, an article by Lynn L. Bergeson, on Law360, outlines the extensive revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that will impact legal practices and business operations, due to the new TSCA law, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The content includes:...
June 10, 2016
EPA Solicits Comments on Draft Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Managing Pesticide Resistance
On June 7, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was making two draft Pesticide Registration Notices (PR Notices) available for public comment: (1) PR Notice 2016-X: Draft Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Pesticide Resistance Management Labeling; and (2) PR Notice 2016-XX: Draft Guidance for Herbicide Resistance Management Labeling, Education, Training, and Stewardship. In its news release, EPA states that it has started a...
June 10, 2016
Solicitation Of Nominations For Biomass Research And Development Technical Advisory Committee
On May 25, 2016, DOE published a Notice For Solicitation of Nominations in the Federal Register to fill vacancies on the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee advises DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on technical and direction issues related to the Biomass Research and Development Initiative. The Committee meets quarterly, typically for two days at a time, in Washington, D.C. and other locations. This round of applications is...
June 10, 2016
Extension Of Bioenergy 2016 Poster Submission Deadline
On June 2, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an extension for the abstract submission deadline for the Bioenergy 2016 poster session. Abstract submissions were originally due June 3, 2016, but have been extended through June 10, 2016. Poster submitters will still be notified of acceptance by June 17, 2016. Abstracts must fit the following guidelines: Not exceed the maximum of 300 words; Explain validity and technical merit of the approach; ...
On June 7, 2016, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576), after Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) dropped the hold placed on the bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on May 24, 2016, with a 403-12 roll call vote. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform is now only waiting for President Obama's signature, which is expected soon, based on the White House's...
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently submitted several draft guidance documents concerning nanomaterials to Partner Expert Groups (PEG) for consultation. Following consultation with PEGs, ECHA will consult its committees and/or Forum, where relevant. The final consultation will be with the European Commission (EC) and the relevant Competent Authorities. To ensure that the guidance updating process is transparent and open to participation by relevant partners, ECHA will...
June 8, 2016
UK Nanosafety Group Publishes Updated Guidance to Support Safe Working with Nanomaterials
In May 2016, the UK Nanosafety Group (UKNSG) published a second edition of its guidance document, Working Safely with Nanomaterials in Research & Development. The second edition of the guidance provides updates to account for changes in legislation, recent studies in the literature, and best practice since 2012. In particular, according to the guidance, specific sections have been revised to account for the full implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and...
On June 2, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) released harmonized product chemistry templates for use by registrants when submitting pesticide registration packages. These templates were developed by EPA and PMRA under the United States — Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) workplan. EPA stated that the templates are based on the Organization for...
On May 10, 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidelines on highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) (Guidelines) as part of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (Code of Conduct). HHPs are defined in the Guidelines as “pesticides that are acknowledged to present particularly high levels of acute or chronic hazards to health or environment according to internationally accepted...
A post from the Environmental Law Institute's "Vibrant Environment" Blog By Lynn L. Bergeson The last thing the push for TSCA reform needs is another delay, and Senator Paul's unexpected interest in H.R. 2576 has caused just that. Under typical circumstances, a Member's focused interest in legislation is refreshing, and as today highlights, entirely too infrequent. In this instance, the circuitous road to TSCA reform is anything but typical—the complexity of the...
On May 3, 3016, Mexico’s Ministry of Economy published a notice beginning a public consultation on two draft nanotechnology standards. Proposed standard PROY-NMX-R-80004-5-SCFI-2015 is identical to ISO/TS 80004-5:2011, “Nanotechnologies — Vocabulary — Part 5: Nano/bio interface.” ISO/TS 80004-5:2011 lists terms and definitions related to the interface between nanomaterials and biology. It is intended to facilitate communications between...