Blogs

Registration is open for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) December 11, 2015, webinar entitled “All Hands on Deck for Improving Data Quality.”  The one-hour webinar will include a presentation from Dr. Paul Weiss, Distinguished Professor at UCLA and Editor-in-Chief of ACS Nano, on nanotechnology data reproducibility challenges and needs.  Dr. Ewan Birney, Director of European Bioiformatics Institute, will present a case study on the formation of the...

On November 19, 2015, USDA published a Notice of the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) Meeting in the Federal Register. The meeting will review the purpose, history, operational process, and member responsibilities of AC21; update committee members on relevant regulatory developments, initiatives, and USDA activities; and outline new tasks for the committee to address. There will also be an opportunity for members of the public to make oral statements, as...

On December 1, 2015, the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) announced that it proposed to the government that those who report chemical products to the products register would, in addition to the information that is currently reported, also provide additional information regarding any nanomaterials contained in the product.  According to the English summary in KEMI’s report, the proposal covers nanomaterials that have been intentionally added to the product, regardless of concentration. ...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called for nominations for the 2016 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (PGCCA), and companies engaging in green chemistry innovations will want to act quickly as the deadline for nominations is December 31, 2015. Winning, or even just being nominated for a PGCCA, confers concrete benefits, including increased brand awareness, public relations opportunity, and validation of your product or process by green chemistry stakeholders. To be...

Earlier this month the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a fact sheet sponsored by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Nanotechnology Working Group entitled Personal Protective Equipment for Engineered Nanoparticles.  The fact sheet defines engineered nanoparticles as intentionally produced solid particles with at least one dimension in the size range of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers.  According to the fact sheet, “[r]ecent...

On November 24, 2015, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Case No. 14-73353, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Respondent; EPA) filed a motion for voluntary vacatur and remand of EPA’s registration, as amended, of Dow AgroSciences LLC’s (Dow) Enlist Duo herbicide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  The motion for vacatur is unusual and noteworthy to all pesticide registrants. This case commenced in October 2014 when the...

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) announced on October 27, 2015, EWG VERIFIED™, a verification program intended “to give consumers peace of mind at point of sale as they try to avoid toxic and potentially harmful chemicals and contaminants commonly found in consumer goods.”  Under the program, products must follow the European Union’s (EU) labeling guidelines for nanomaterials used in cosmetics.  EWG VERIFIED™ items must be free of substances on EWG’s...

In a press release issued on November 22, 2015, the Canadian province of Québec (Quebec) announced its release of Québec Pesticide Strategy 2015-2018.  Although the Strategy itself is available only in French, Québec has provided a summary of the Strategy in English, which is available here. Québec’s press release states that the Strategy “sets out the major directions and goals that will guide government action to protect public health, pollinators, and the environment in...

ProSafe has launched an online Delphi Forum on whether risk management is on pace with innovation for nanomaterial uses.   ProSafe will use expert discussion between those working with manufacture and health and safety of specific nanomaterial uses to develop a white paper proposing a path forward for risk management policies for nanomaterial uses.  To join the Forum, follow the instructions below: The Delphi Forum will include a panel review of the discussion so far at...

According to an item in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Fall 2015 Regulatory Agenda, EPA intends to promulgate a final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) rule in October 2016 concerning reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when they are manufactured or processed at the nanoscale.  EPA’s April 6, 2015, proposed rule includes one-time reporting for existing nanoscale materials and one-time reporting for new discrete...

On November 17, 2015, Steven Cohen, the Director of Catalyst and Chemicals Technology at Elevance Renewable Sciences, presented a new line of high performance, biobased specialty chemicals and intermediates at the 6th Biobased Chemicals: Commercialization & Partnering Conference. The new product line, called Renewicals™, has a variety of market applications including surfactant, lubricant, consumer ingredient, engineering polymer, and coating. Elevance, a Biobased and Renewable...

On November 16, 2015, The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) of South Africa called for submissions of Statements of Interest focusing on the demonstration of 2nd and 3rd generation biofuel production technologies. TIA manages the Biofuels Technology Demonstration Programme (BTDP) on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is looking to support South African advanced biofuel production technology. To submit a proposal, applicants must be South African citizens, be...

On November 12, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other environmental and scientific experts to create the Nutrient Recycling Challenge (NRC). The competition was created to develop technology to recycle nitrogen and phosphorus from the more than one billion tons of livestock waste that is produced annually. The NRC is made up of four phases, allowing innovators to turn concepts into designs, and...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently posted four reflection papers that discuss the possible release of nanomaterials from waste treatment operations and a literature review on four specific waste treatment processes of recycling, incineration, landfilling, and wastewater treatment.  The papers aim to point out the knowledge gaps and areas where further research is needed....

The European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has posted for comment its opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano).  According to the opinion, the EC received 35 notifications of cosmetic products containing hydroxyapatite in nano form.  The opinion states that, according to the applicants, the ingredient is used in nano uncoated form both in leave-on and rinse-off oral cosmetics products, including toothpastes, tooth whiteners, and mouth washes with a maximum reported...

On November 12, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final cancellation order for all previously registered pesticide products containing the active ingredient sulfoxaflor, pursuant to Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 6(a)(1).  The registrations for the sulfoxaflor products in question were cancelled effective on November 12, 2015, by an order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that vacated the original...

On November 11, 2015, the Council of the European Union (EU) announced that its Permanent Representatives Committee approved the proposed novel food regulation. On November 16, 2015, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU reached an agreement on the proposal. The European Commission (EC) issued a November 16, 2015, press release and a November 16, 2015, Questions and Answers (Q&A) document concerning the final regulation. The Q&A includes the...

REGISTER TO ATTEND THE "TSCA REFORM PANEL SUMMIT," OR TO VIEW THE LIVE WEBCAST, AT THE ELI WEBSITE. George Washington University (GWU) Milken Institute School of Public Health, GWU Law School, Environmental Law Institute, Arnold & Porter LLP, and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. Present:  TSCA Reform Panel Summit: What's Happening Now, and What's Next? Thursday, November 19, 2015, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. (EST) George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public...

On November 4, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. The meeting is intended to develop guidance promoting the research and development (R&D) of biobased fuel and product production. In addition to an opportunity for members of the public to make oral statements, the meeting will cover an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

On November 4, 2015, EPA announced a request for nominations for the 21st Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (PGCCA). The PGCCA is sponsored by EPA and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute®. Over the 21 years of the challenge, EPA has recognized 104 new technologies that have saved water, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and reduced the use of many hazardous chemicals and solvents. There are seven award areas covering greener synthetic pathways, greener reaction...