All Knowledge & Insights By Date

October 15, 2016, was a historic day for international climate action: nearly 200 countries reached an agreement to phase out use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) at the 28th meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. This column summarizes this historic event and its implications. The Montreal Protocol is the international treaty designed to protect the earth’s ozone layer by requiring the phasing out of production and use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), substances believed...

On October 13, 2016, OCSiAl announced that it is the first manufacturer of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) to complete Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registration.  According to OCSiAl, the registration was successfully completed thanks to the collaboration between OCSiAl’s Health and Safety Department, Envigo, and Intertek, which jointly completed the work involved in demonstrating compliance with the standards and requirements of...

“Next Generation Compliance” is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) signature initiative intended to increase compliance with environmental regulations by using advances in pollution monitoring and information technology and by more effectively using and designing regulations and permits to reduce pollution and enhance compliance.  This column describes EPA’s initiative, discusses several examples of its applications in rulemakings and civil enforcement settlements,...

On November 22, 2016, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on its opinion on additional coatings for titanium dioxide (nano form) as an ultraviolet (UV)-filter in dermally applied cosmetic products.  The EC asked if SCCS considered safe the use of cetyl phosphate, manganese dioxide, and triethoxycaprylylsilane as coatings for titanium dioxide (nano) used as a UV-filter in dermally-applied cosmetic products.  SCCS...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is seeking an attorney to join our growing team of lawyers, regulatory consultants, scientists, and policy experts.  This position will be based in our Washington, D.C. office, although telework arrangements may be considered for suitable candidates.  Applicants should be experienced in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and other domestic and/or international chemical...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Federal Register notice on November 16, 2016, announcing the 2017 Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) Staff Experiential Learning Site Visit Program.  According to the notice, “[a] critical part of the commitment by CDER to make safe and effective high-quality drugs available to the American public is gaining an understanding of all aspects of drug development and...

As reported in The Acta Group EU, Ltd's (Acta EU®) August 26, 2016, Global Regulatory Update, this summer, Thailand's Department of Industrial Works (DIW) published a preliminary inventory of existing chemicals (Preliminary of Thailand Existing Chemicals Inventory). The preliminary inventory can be searched by Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number or trade name. DIW created the preliminary inventory by combining the hazardous substance list; the most recent hazardous chemical...

On October 27, 2016, EPA approved an Efficient Producer petition submitted by Redfield Energy, LLC (Redfield Energy) granting “a pathway for the generation of renewable fuel (D-code 6) Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for the production of non-grandfathered ethanol” produced by dry milling.  The Efficient Producer petition process is designed to accelerate the registration process for starch and grain sorghum ethanol...

As previously reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group’s (BRAG®) Biobased and Renewable Products Update of November 11, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a notice in the Federal Register of a public hearing for the proposed “Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule.”  The proposed rule updates the regulatory structure to allow biofuel producers to process and convert biomass at different facilities, update fuel...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just announced that its Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) is holding a meeting on December 14, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST) to update the public on changes to the New Chemicals Review Program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.  EPA states that it will “describe its review process for new chemicals under the...