Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) outlines below thoughts on what may be headed our way in 2014 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). We also offer a few thoughts on European and Asian developments pertinent to chemical regulatory matters. Although President Obama is well into his second term, the 2014 off-year elections, combined with the bitter partisan atmosphere in Washington, D.C., will result in a...
January 1, 2014
Lynn L. Bergeson, Kathleen M. Roberts, “Promoting Renewable Chemicals,” The Environmental Forum, January/February, 2014.
Biofuels have gotten all the press. But biobased chemicals have equal environmental and health potential, and also the most exposure under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Implications range from irritating to crippling, depending upon a manufacturer’s response.
December 22, 2013
Lynn L. Bergeson, “TSCA Reform: The New State of Play,” Environmental Quality Management, Winter 2013.
In a game-changing bipartisan show of support for reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that few saw coming, United States (US) Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and the late Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)—among bipartisan others—introduced on May 22, 2013, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), later designated Senate Bill 1009 (S.1009). CSIA provides a new and streamlined approach to reforming TSCA that stakeholders may view favorably when compared to legislative templates that have...
Most GHS adoptions will complete implementation by 2015, mandating that all mixtures must be classified according to the particular legislation of that jurisdiction. Although some variation will remain between labelling information and hazard category adoption, this greatly simplifies the process of classification and labelling for retail and consumer products. This level of harmonisation, together with the standardisation of transport labels, offers the promise of greatly simplifying and...
December 20, 2013
Lynn L. Bergeson, “NIOSH Publishes Nanotechnology Research and Guidance Strategic Plan,” Nanotechnology Now, December 20, 2013.
On December 20, 2013, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a document entitled Protecting the Nanotechnology Workforce: NIOSH Nanotechnology Research and Guidance Strategic Plan, 2013-2016. See http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2014-106/ NIOSH describes the document as "the roadmap being used to advance basic understanding of the toxicology and workplace exposures involved so that appropriate risk management practices can be implemented during...
Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in BNA Daily Environment Report regarding EPA’s December 17, 2013, release of screening data on 1,800 chemicals through a new online tool known as the interactive Chemical Safety for Sustainability Dashboard. “Companies that make and use the chemicals are likely to be concerned about how and in what context the data is presented, said Lynn L. Bergeson, a partner with Bergeson & Campbell PC who counsels industry on chemical regulations. Raw data needs to be...
December 17, 2013
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Amends TSCA Reporting Obligations,” Chemical Processing, December 17, 2013.
On December 4, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule entailing the use of electronic reporting for certain reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), effective March 4, 2014. This article summarizes the final rule.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published Technical Specification (TS) 13830:2013, "Nanotechnologies -- Guidance on voluntary labelling for consumer products containing manufactured nano-objects." See https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:ts:13830:ed-1:v1:en The purpose of the guidance "is to provide a framework to facilitate a harmonized approach for the voluntary provision of labelling for [consumer products containing manufactured nano-objects (PCMNO)]...
December 2, 2013
Lynn L. Bergeson, “IARC Will Review “Some Nanomaterials and Some Fibres” in 2014,” Nanotechnology Now, December 2, 2013.
On November 28, 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that the Working Group for IARC Monographs Volume 111, "Some Nanomaterials and Some Fibres," will meet September 30 to October 7, 2014. IARC states that "[d]etails will follow shortly."
November 26, 2013
EPA Releases Draft Procurement Guidelines for Product Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels
On November 20, 2013, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its intent to release for comment proposed Draft Guidelines for Product Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Voluntary Use in Federal Procurement (Draft Guidelines). EPA states the Draft Guidelines -- developed by EPA, the General Services Administration (GSA), and other federal agencies following several "listening sessions" with a wide range of stakeholders -- are intended to help federal...