All Knowledge & Insights By Date

OEHHA Proposes MADL For BPA (Dermal Exposure From Solid Materials): On March 25, 2016, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed a maximum allowable dose level (MADL) for bisphenol A (BPA) (dermal exposure from solid materials) of three micrograms per day. OEHHA states that it reviewed the transcript of the May 7, 2015, meeting of the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) and the hazard identification materials...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 23, 2016, a new publication co-authored with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Joint Research Center (JRC) that illustrates how to use data for different nanoforms within the same substance registration.

On March 18, 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) announced the appointment of its provisional committee on "Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System." This study is being commissioned pursuant to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) July 2, 2015, memorandum, "Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products," that states it would "commission an...

The February 24, 2016, Official Journal of the European Union includes the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on "Nanotechnology for a competitive chemical industry."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on February 25, 2016, amendments to the accidental release prevention requirements of the Risk Management Programs (RMP) under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r)(7). This column summarizes this important proposed rule.

A January 20, 2016, letter from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy provides the Administration's reaction to, and comments on, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform legislation that has passed both the House and the Senate in somewhat different forms. The differences between the bills are currently being sorted out and reconciled. The bills at issue are the TSCA Modernization Act of 2015 (H.R. 2576) and the Frank R. Lautenberg...

On February 18, 2016, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), presented at Cellulosic Fuels: First Commercials and Beyond, a session at the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2016 (ABLC2016).  Dr. Engler’s presentation, “TSCA and the Cellulosic Revolution,” covered Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) nomenclature, inventory, and model manufacturing process issues for cellulosic products.  The presentation...

On February 19, 2016, Kathleen M. Roberts, Executive Director of the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®), presented “Achieving Critical Policy Changes through Consortia” at the 2016 Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC2016).  Ms. Roberts presented as part of The Bioeconomy R&D Consortia Summit and discussed the work being done by BRAG to level the regulatory playing field for biobased chemicals.  BRAG has successfully petitioned the U.S....

On March 2, 2016, EPA and other federal agencies announced that the second public meeting on the July 2, 2015, memorandum entitled "Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products" would be held March 9, 2016, in Dallas, Texas. 81 Fed. Reg. 10858. According to EPA, the March 9, 2016, meeting was convened to solicit comment on the current federal roles and responsibilities regarding biotechnology products. The July 2, 2015, memorandum was jointly issued by the Office of Science and...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently published the following reports: Physical-chemical properties of nanomaterials- Evaluation of methods applied in the OECD-WPMN testing programme and categorisation of manufactured nanomaterials workshop report.