All Knowledge & Insights By Date

The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is currently seeking authors, presenters, and panelists for its 107th Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will be held June 24-27, 2014, in Long Beach, California.  The A&WMA Intercommittee Task Force (ITF) on Nanoscale Science and Engineering is sponsoring a track in the technical program that will span a wide array of subjects, including environmental policy, measurement, health effects, monitoring, management, and safety...

On November 7, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted in part and denied in part the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) petition for review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) conditional registration of HeiQ AGS-20 and AGS-20 U (collectively, AGS-20) nanosilver products. The court held that “substantial evidence” supported EPA’s decision to use the characteristics of toddlers rather than infants in determining whether AGS-20 placed...

Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced in October 2013 a voluntary guidance document on measuring airborne carbon nanotubes (CNT) in workplaces.

On November 7, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted in part and denied in part the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) petition for review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) conditional registration of HeiQ AGS-20 and AGS-20 U (collectively, AGS-20) nanosilver products.

On November 4, 2013, it was reported that Johor Biotechnology and Biodiversity Corporation (J-BioTech) recently signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Malaysian Biotechnology Corp Sdn Bhd (BiotechCorp) to develop a biobased industry in Johor.

On October 31, 2013, NatureWorks issued a press release announcing that it "now offers three new Ingeo high performance biopolymer grades designed for injection molding and extrusion applications. They will allow formulations comparable in performance to engineering thermoplastics at a cost lower than any previous high-biobased content polymers on the market." A copy of the press release is available online.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released an advice memorandum from the agency's Office of Chief Counsel determining that "[b]y electing the § 6426(c) excise tax credit [biodiesel mixture credit] and/or the § 6427(e) excise tax payment instead of the § 40A income tax credit, a blender is not required by § 87 or by § 61 to include in its gross income the amount of the § 6426(c) excise tax credits and/or the § 6427(e) payments that it claims."...

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the report of the December 10-11, 2012, WHO expert meeting entitled Nanotechnology and human health: Scientific evidence and risk governance. The conclusion states that while “first generation nanomaterials are being used in a variety of applications and products, they do not seem to present an imminent public health issue.” The conclusion continues, however, and states: “Given the scientific uncertainty and still emerging...

On October 28, 2013, the Wilson Center announced that the updated Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory contains 1,628 consumer products that have been introduced to the market since 2005, which is a 24 percent increase since the last update in 2010. The Wilson Center states that the re-launched inventory “seeks to address scientific uncertainty with contributions from those involved with nanomaterials production, use, and analysis.” The Project on Emerging...

TSCA/FIFRA/IRIS/EPCRA IARC Nominations Of Possible Carcinogens: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced on October 15, 2013, that it is seeking nominations by January 31, 2014, of chemicals, occupations, biological agents, or other factors suspected of causing cancer in humans. A scientific committee will review the nominated substances or situations April 7-9, 2014, to select those that will be subject to examination to determine whether they are human...

On August 28, 2013, California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC or department) Safer Consumer Products Regulations (regulations). The regulations took effect on October 1, 2013. The regulations are the much-anticipated regulatory implementation of California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. The regulations and final statement of reasons are available at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/SCPRegulations.cfm.The scope of the...

In August 2013, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a controversial rule lowering the 40-year-old permissible exposure limits (PEL) for crystalline silica particles. This is big news from an agency from that we hear little.

On October 28, 2013, DuPont announced the start of the second phase of its China Research and Development Center. The Center will focus on the development of biobased materials, among other things. A copy of DuPont's press release on the announcement is available online.

On October 30, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia approved the request by Monroe Energy to expedite review of the current RFS litigation challenging EPA's final rule setting the 2013 renewable volume obligations under the federal RFS (the 2013 RFS rule). In October 2013, Monroe, the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) filed individual cases before the court challenging the 2013 RFS rule. These cases have...

Citing concerns over livestock in their states, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) have announced plans to introduce legislation to eliminate the corn ethanol volume requirements under the federal RFS. The bill would leave the advanced biofuels requirements in place. Certain stakeholders in the biofuels industry have already come out against the bill. For instance, it is reported that Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen has stressed the importance of...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) posted a blog item on October 24, 2013, concerning the use of nanotechnology to develop new drugs. According to the item, “[t]here are already many products made using materials at the nanoscale, including new kinds of clothing, packaging materials, and light-weight, but strong, building materials.” CDER conducted a series of risk assessment and risk management exercises concerning...

On October 8, 2013, Sweden issued a report proposing a national action plan for the safe use and management of nanomaterials. An English summary of the report’s recommendations is available at http://nanotech.lawbc.com/uploads/file/00125741.PDF