The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 6, 2023, that it is deploying application updates, supporting new requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Confidential Business Information (CBI) Procedural Rule, within its electronic reporting site Central Data Exchange (CDX). EPA states that the deployments will update the applications requiring CBI substantiations to be provided within the application instead of requiring substantiation documents/templates...
The EU Academy, an online hub owned by the European Union (EU), is offering an online course on how EU legislation addresses nanomaterials. The target audience includes: Scientists working within the fields of nanomaterials safety who have a basic knowledge of what nanomaterials are; and National authorities and private-sector employees with a scientific background similar to nanosafety scientists and a need for information on regulation of nanomaterials in the EU. The learning objectives...
October 6, 2023
CRS Report on Gene-Edited Plants Includes Issues Facing Congress
On September 7, 2023, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report entitled Gene-Edited Plants: Regulation and Issues for Congress. The report notes that the U.S. regulation and oversight of gene editing in plants is facilitated by the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, which involves the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Established in 1986 by the White House...
On October 2, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 30 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, and the selection and use of cleaners, detergents, and other products with safer chemicals. EPA states that the Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers of facilities, such as schools and office buildings, find cleaning and other products containing chemical ingredients that are safer alternatives for...
On September 19, 2023, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report providing an overview of cell-cultivated meat. The report provides an overview of the science of cell-cultivated meat, the industry, the regulatory framework for cell-cultivated meat products, congressional interests, and potential policy considerations. CRS states that cell-cultivated meat is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals. Developing...
October 5, 2023
Minnesota Requests Comments on Planned New Rules Governing PFAS in Products Reporting and PFAS in Products Fees
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) published two Requests for Comments (RFC) on two planned per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) rulemakings in the September 25, 2023, State Register, the PFAS in Products Reporting Rule (Revisor ID Number R-4828) and the PFAS in Products Fees Rule (Revisor ID Number R-4827). Comments on the RFCs are due by 4:30 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. The PFAS in Products Reporting Rule: The main purpose of this rulemaking is to establish a...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 29, 2023, that it is adding ten chemicals to the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL). EPA describes the SCIL as “a living list of chemicals that EPA’s Safer Choice program has evaluated and determined meet Safer Choice criteria.” With this update, the SCIL includes a total of 1,071 chemicals that are “among the safest for their functional use.” According to EPA, the SCIL provides increased transparency in safer...
October 3, 2023
NNCO October 10, 2023, Symposium Postponed Until 2024
On October 2, 2023, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced that its October 10, 2023, symposium entitled “Enabling the Nanotechnology Revolution: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act” has been postponed. NNCO states that it is working with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and its speakers to find a replacement date in late February or early March 2024. NNCO will share updated...
October 2, 2023
BETO Announces Recycling Process That Can Transform Plastic Waste into “High-Value” Chemicals
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on September 14, 2023, that a new process from the University of Wisconsin (UW) - Madison allows chemical engineers to transform plastic waste into “high-value” chemicals, “increasing the economic incentives for plastic recycling and creating novel pathways to recycle new types of plastics.” According to BETO, investigators led by Dr. George W. Huber, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at...
September 29, 2023
FDA Will Hold 2023 NanoDay Symposium on Continuous Manufacturing of Nanomaterials
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a virtual 2023 NanoDay symposium on October 11, 2023, on the continuous manufacturing of nanomaterials. In the symposium, FDA will provide an overview of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) experience with approving several solid oral drug products that benefited from the continuous manufacturing technologies. FDA states that it will also provide case studies of intramural and extramural research in the areas of nanomaterials and...