All Knowledge & Insights By Date

We offer our thoughts on what may be headed our way in 2012 with regard to reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and chemical management initiatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).

In a January 13, 2012, letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and John Shimkus (R-IL), Chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, asked EPA to postpone the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) implementation and compliance deadlines from February 1, 2012, to align it with the future CDR submission periods -- June...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approach to nanotechnology is the subject of intense interest for at least three reasons. First, many promising and visible applications of nano-technology include cosmetics, sunscreens, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, and medical devices. These products are subject to FDA jurisdiction under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Second, FDA faces unique challenges in regulating products of nanotechnology be-cause of the...

On January 9, 2012, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled Challenges Remain with EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Program, which evaluates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) progress in completing Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessments under the May 2009 process. EPA revised its IRIS assessment process in May 2009 in response to a March 2008 GAO report on the IRIS program. EPA most recently revised the IRIS process in...

On the 21st of December 2011, a U.S. coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for alleged failure to regulate what the coalition deems health and environmental risks stemming from nanotechnology-enabled products put on the market. The coalition was led by the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) and represents the following plaintiffs: Friends of the Earth, Food and Water Watch, the Center...

On the 21st of December 2011, a U.S. coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for alleged failure to regulate what the coalition deems health and environmental risks stemming from nanotechnology-enabled products put on the market. The coalition was led by the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) and represents the following plaintiffs: Friends of the Earth, Food and Water Watch, the Center...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), The Acta Group, L.L.C. (Acta), and The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta EU) are pleased to announce that the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NbCA) has included Lynn L. Bergeson on its "Most Influential Nanotechnology Leaders List from 2011." The NbCA is the industry association for the emerging nanotechnology industry. Through its extensive network of leading start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, research...

Consumer product manufacturers are challenged today as never before. Materials selection for consumer products invites a dizzying range of considerations: Are the chemicals hormone disruptors, carcinogens, or persistent, bioaccumulative, or toxic? What toxicogenomic biomarkers might make the product the next celebrity tort case? What labeling requirements apply? What are the implications of genetic variations among the demographic to which the product is to be marketed? These considerations, in...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) is pleased to announce that, in light of the growing significance of emerging chemical technologies, its Nanotechnology Law Blog has been renamed the Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog and will now report on federal, local, and international regulatory, legal, and policy developments involving nanotechnologies and other emerging chemical technologies. The blog is available at nanotech.lawbc.com. Users may sign up to receive e-mails of...

Thursday, January 19, 20129:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST) Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) and B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) have organized a workshop to review reporting obligations for byproducts and recycled materials under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. B&C previously submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specific case studies related to byproducts or recycled materials. The case study scenarios were compiled by BCCM and reflect real-life...