Nanoscale materials may figure in Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform. While not mentioning “nanotechnology,” a bill introduced on April 15, by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) addresses chemicals with “special substantive characteristics.” The bill authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate and compel data on new/special uses of existing chemicals “separate from any use of the chemical substance that does not exhibit such special...
July 2, 2010
Lynn L. Bergeson, “Legal Lookout: Endocrine Disruptors: Test Orders Abound,” Pollution Engineering, June 2010.
In April 2009, EPA identified a final list of 67 chemicals for initial screening under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). From October 2009 to April 2010, the agency issued more than 700 test orders. Responding to an EDSP test order can present challenging issues. The agency began implementing this mandate well over a decade ago through the EDSP....
Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs of the Executive Yuan (CLA) has developed and released operational guidelines for nominating existing chemical substances for listing on a national Inventory. Through creation of a national Inventory, Taiwan intends to strengthen its control over the manufacture, import, and use of chemicals in Taiwan, thus improving its national chemical management. It is a preparatory process for establishing the National Existing Chemical Substance Inventory. Once...
The June 29, 2010, issue of Inside EPA’s Risk Policy Report quotes Lynn L. Bergeson regarding the need for industry officials in the nanomaterials sector to “act proactively” to address nanomaterials-related research needs and adapt the National Research Council’s vision to achieve the goals of its plan....
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) released on June 23, 2010, the draft regulations for safer consumer product alternatives. CDTSC states that the draft regulations “would prioritize toxic chemicals and products, require manufacturers to seek safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in their products, and create tough governmental responses for lack of compliance.” Under the draft regulations, CDTSC would create a list of chemicals that it deems toxic and...
The June 25, 2010, issue of BNA Daily Environment Report quotes Lynn L. Bergeson regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) use of Section 6(a)(2) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to obtain information concerning nanoscale ingredients in registered pesticides....
According to a report released today by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces challenges in effectively regulating nanomaterials that may be released in air, water, and waste because EPA lacks the technology to monitor and characterize these materials, or the statutes include volume-based regulatory thresholds that may be too high for effectively regulating the production and disposal of nanomaterials. In preparing its report, GAO...
June 24, 2010
Supreme Court Sets Aside Injunction That Prohibited APHIS from Partially Deregulating Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
On June 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Monsanto, et al v. Geertson Seed Farms, et al. In the 7-1 decision, the Court reversed a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court held that the District Court that reviewed a decision by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture abused its discretion when it issued an injunction precluding APHIS from allowing any sale...
On June 22, 2010, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that a new practical guide makes clear that inorganic substances with the same chemical composition but different crystalline forms are regarded as different substances under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation (EC No. 1907/2006). Practical guide 11: How to address specific substance identification issues (Practical Guide) is available online. The assessment of...
June 22, 2010
EPA Issues Interim Guidance for Employee Participation in Risk Management Program Inspections
On June 22, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that employees at facilities regulated under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) will be invited to participate in government inspections of their worksites. Interim guidance issued by EPA and referenced in its announcement states that “[e]ffective immediately, EPA staff conducting CAA section 112(r) on-site compliance evaluations should offer facility employees and employee representatives the opportunity to...