December 21, 2020

K-OSHA Amendments Effective January 16, 2021

We write to alert you to an important and imminent deadline. Consideration for confidential business information (CBI) for hazardous substance ingredient disclosure on safety data sheets (SDS) will require formal submission and approval in South Korea starting January 16, 2021. Background On January 15, 2019, the South Korean government announced a major amendment to the South Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act (K-OSHA). The amendment requires that companies provide a copy...
December 17, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Bloomberg Environment Article “Virus Prompts EPA to Let Chemical Makers Split Risk Analysis Fees”

On December 17, 2020, Bloomberg Environment featured comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to allow chemical manufacturers to split certain risk evaluation fee payments to the agency. [T]he due date for the second payment offers some clarity for clients, said Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson and Campbell, PC, which specializes in chemical...
December 17, 2020

Butyl Benzyl Phthalate Consortium Forms To Support Regulatory and Scientific Interests of Stakeholders

B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) is pleased to announce the formation of the Butyl Benzyl Phthalate Consortium.  Its mission is to serve the commercial and regulatory interests of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) manufacturers, importers, and downstream users; address scientific, regulatory, and product stewardship issues concerning the health, safety, and/or environmental aspects of BBP; and participate in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 6 risk evaluation...
December 17, 2020

Final Risk Evaluation for Perchloroethylene Finds 59 Conditions of Use Pose Unreasonable Risks to Workers, ONUs, Consumers, and Bystanders

On December 14, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final risk evaluation for perchloroethylene. Of the 61 conditions of use that EPA reviewed, EPA found that 59 present unreasonable risks to workers, occupational non-users (ONU), consumers, and bystanders. The conditions of use that EPA determined do not present an unreasonable risk are distribution in commerce and industrial and commercial use in lubricants and greases for penetrating lubricants and cutting...
December 17, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Bloomberg Environment Article “Virus Prompts EPA to Let Chemical Makers Split Risk Analysis Fees”

On December 17, 2020, Bloomberg Environment featured comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to allow chemical manufacturers to split certain risk evaluation fee payments to the agency. [T]he due date for the second payment offers some clarity for clients, said Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson and Campbell, PC, which specializes in chemical...
December 17, 2020

Product Stewardship and Circular Economy — A Conversation with Kate Sellers

This week I was thrilled to sit down with Kate Sellers, Technical Director at ERM, where Kate leads multidisciplinary teams to help clients meet their business goals through product stewardship and sustainability initiatives.  Kate is immediate past President of the Product Stewardship Society and one of the country’s most visionary leaders in the area of product stewardship.  Kate counsels some of the largest companies in the world on optimizing business practices to producer...
December 16, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Fee Controversy Continues,” Chemical Processing, December 16, 2020.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect fees from chemical manufacturers (including importers) to defray a portion of the costs associated with TSCA implementation efforts. The TSCA fees rule requires payment for eight categories of fee-triggering events under TSCA, including EPA-initiated risk evaluations under TSCA Section 6. The EPA must prepare a preliminary list of manufacturers subject to fee obligations for EPA-initiated...
December 16, 2020

Important Changes to Annex II to REACH Come into Force January 1, 2021

As 2021 begins, new safety data sheet (SDS) requirements in the European Union (EU) will enter into force. Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/878 of June 18, 2020, amends Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The requirements for SDS layout and content appear in REACH, while the hazard classification criteria and labeling requirements are derivative of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the Classification,...
December 14, 2020

EPA Publishes Draft Compliance Guide Addressing Surface Coatings under PFAS SNUR

On December 10, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a draft compliance guide that outlines which imported articles are covered by EPA’s July 2020 final significant new use rule (SNUR) that prohibits companies from manufacturing, importing, processing, or using certain long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) without prior EPA review and approval. The draft guide will be “the official compliance guide for imported...
December 10, 2020

Manufacturer and Importer Liability under the TSCA Fees Rule for EPA-Initiated Risk Evaluations: An Opaque and Evolving Story

Under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 26(b), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized to collect fees from chemical manufacturers (defined to include importers under TSCA) to defray a portion of the EPA costs associated with TSCA implementation efforts. The TSCA Fees Rule, which became effective on October 18, 2018, requires payment of fees for eight categories of...