The July 19, 2018, issue of the European Commission’s (EC) Health-EU Newsletter includes an editorial entitled “The only concern to have about sunscreen is … did you remember to put it on?” written by Qasim Chaudhry, Chair of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Ulrike Bernauer, Chair of the SCCS Working Group on Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products. According to the editorial, nanomaterials as cosmetic ingredients serve various functions, including as...
Category: General
July 19, 2018
EPA Convenes Public Hearing on Proposed Rule: Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science
On July 17, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a public hearing on the proposed rule "Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science." Stakeholder testimony was scheduled for the three sessions: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) attended the morning session. A few takeaways from the meeting include: Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) provided...
July 18, 2018
EUON Publishes Study Identifying Key Parameters for Conducting Reliable Market Studies on Nanomaterials
On July 17, 2018, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced the availability of a study that it commissioned, Critical review of the relevance and reliability of data sources, methods, parameters and determining factors to produce market studies on manufactured nanomaterials on the EU market. The study presents the results of a critical review of the relevance and reliability of data sources, methods, parameters, and determining factors to...
While the intention of food contact regulations in both China and the US is to protect public health, the approaches taken, the obligations for industry and other facets of the regulations differ in notable ways. This article overviews the two regulatory systems, highlighting key similarities and differences between the emerging regulatory regime in China and the established US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food contact regulations.
July 17, 2018
Oral Argument Held in Case Challenging EPA’s Denial of Petition to Revoke Chlorpyrifos Tolerances
On July 9, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) held oral argument in League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Pruitt, a case brought to challenge the decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny a 2007 petition by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The 2007 petition requested that EPA revoke all chlorpyrifos tolerances granted under the Federal Food, Drug,...
July 17, 2018
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Covers Confidential Chemicals,” Chemical Processing, July 17, 2018.
On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance to assist companies in creating structurally descriptive chemical names for substances whose specific chemical identities are claimed confidential and for listing substances on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory. Because the need to retain chemical identity confidentiality is critical, this guidance is an essential read.
Reducing childhood lead exposure has long been a focus of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Flint, Mich., water crisis has inspired renewed concerns with lead exposure and heightened attention on the hazards occasioned by exposure to dust and dust-lead, especially exposure to children. On July 2, 2018, EPA proposed to lower the dust-lead hazard standards for homes with dust-lead issues. This column summarizes the proposal.
July 13, 2018
North Dakota Industrial Commission Provides Grant To Midwest AgEnergy For Barley-Based Ethanol Resea
By Lynn L. Bergeson On July 2, 2018, Midwest AgEnergy announced that the North Dakota Industrial Commission, a division of North Dakota’s State Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, had awarded it a $83,810 grant to research using North Dakota barley to produce ethanol with a protein concentrate byproduct for use in aquaculture. This would be the first ethanol produced North Dakota from a feedstock other than corn, and would include an expansion of the Dakota Spirit...
July 13, 2018
EPA Announces Public Hearing And Publishes Proposed Rule On Renewable Fuel Standard Program
By Lynn L. Bergeson On July 3, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was holding a public hearing for the proposed rule “Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2019 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020” on July 18, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in Ypsilanti, Michigan. 83 Fed. Reg. 31098. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on July 10, 2018. 83 Fed. Reg. 32024. The notice states that the public...
July 12, 2018
James V. Aidala Quoted In Bloomberg Environment Article “Wheeler More Aware of Chemical Issues Than Most EPA Heads”
On July 12, 2018, Bloomberg Environment quoted James V. Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Andrew Wheeler’s experience with the chemical regulatory landscape. The EPA’s new acting administrator is more familiar than past agency heads were with the nation’s primary chemicals statute, giving him insight into tensions arising in...