The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 28, 2022, that it awarded $748,180 in research grant funding to three institutions for research to improve understanding of how people are exposed to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in several communities throughout the country. EPA states that there is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects. According to EPA, more data are needed to measure...
November 1, 2022
USDA Seeks Comments, Announces Public Listening Sessions on Inflation Reduction Act Implementation
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton On October 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced a request for information (RFI) and notice of public listening sessions on how to implement newly allocated funding opportunities under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 87 Fed. Reg. 65188. It is anticipated that these funds will support new projects related to rural electric system resiliency,...
October 31, 2022
Biden Administration Expands Public-Private Cybersecurity Partnership to Chemical Sector
On October 26, 2022, the Biden Administration announced that it is expanding the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cybersecurity Initiative to the chemical sector. The White House’s fact sheet states that the majority of chemical companies are privately owned, so a collaborative approach is needed between the private sector and government. According to the fact sheet, “[t]he nation’s leading chemical companies and the government’s lead agency for the chemical sector -- the...
October 31, 2022
EPA Proposes SNUR for Four Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for a number of chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are also subject to Orders issued by EPA pursuant to TSCA. 87 Fed. Reg. 65548. The proposed SNURs include four chemical substances identified as: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT); closed; 4.4-12.8 nanometer (nm) diameter; bundle length...
October 28, 2022
CDTSC Will Hold Engagement Sessions in November on a Definition of Sustainable Chemistry
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) invites stakeholders to two external engagement sessions, on November 1 and November 3, 2022, to share their perspectives on an actionable definition of sustainable chemistry. CDTSC states that stakeholders’ participation and expertise can help refine a draft, consensus definition and set of criteria for sustainable chemistry. According to CDTSC, the draft definition and criteria were developed over the past six months by a...
October 28, 2022
NanoHarmony and NANOMET Publish Status Report on Development or Revisions to OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents Applicable to Nanomaterials
NanoHarmony and NANOMET have published a status report summarizing the current status of projects aiming to develop or adapt Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines (TG) and Guidance Documents (GD) for nanomaterials, as well as the outlook for each project as of July 2022. The status report is intended to be a living document that will be updated regularly. A large part of the status report comprises activities in European Union (EU) projects like...
October 28, 2022
CDTSC Will Hold Engagement Sessions in November on a Definition of Sustainable Chemistry
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) invites stakeholders to two external engagement sessions, on November 1 and November 3, 2022, to share their perspectives on an actionable definition of sustainable chemistry. CDTSC states that stakeholders’ participation and expertise can help refine a draft, consensus definition and set of criteria for sustainable chemistry. According to CDTSC, the draft definition and criteria...
October 28, 2022
All Things Chemical® Podcast Episode “Biotech’s Emergence in the EU and Globally — A Conversation w
This week’s All Things Chemical® podcast will be of interest to readers of the B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog. This episode features a conversation between Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Dr. Claire Skentelbery, Director General, EuropaBio -- The European Association for Bioindustries. Many know Claire from her prior role as Director General of the Nanotechnology Industries Association, where she...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on November 1, 2022, on a new research funding opportunity, “Developing and Demonstrating Nanosensor Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Degrade Pollutants.” EPA states that environmental pollutants such as pesticides, insecticides, dyes, phenols, endocrine disrupters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), heavy metals, and nitrogen compounds can have adverse effects on human health...
October 25, 2022
EPA Will Hold Webinar on October 27 on CompTox Communities of Practice: Analysis of High-Throughput Profiling Assays in Chemical Safety Screening
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on October 27, 2022, in its Computational Toxicology and Exposure Communities of Practice (CompTox Communities of Practice) series on “Analysis of High-Throughput Profiling Assays in Chemical Safety Screening.” The abstract for the webinar states that recent technological advancements have led to the development of new high-throughput profiling methods, such as transcriptomics, that can be used to screen rapidly chemicals...