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This week, I was thrilled to sit down with Richard Keigwin, Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here in Washington, D.C.  As OPP Director, Rick leads the EPA office that reviews and approves pesticide products used to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  Historically, OPP has consistently been one of the busiest offices in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention...

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation formally announced that the May 1, 2020, deadline to submit substances and mixtures to its chemical inventory is extended to August 1, 2020. Entities exporting products to the Russian Federation should nominate their substances and mixtures to the Russian chemical inventory to ensure continued access to the Russian market.  New substance registration is required for substances or mixtures not on the inventory after the nomination...

The EPA’s amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act reporting requirements have increased the need for chemical stakeholders to manage actively supply chain communications. Lynn L. Bergeson, owner and managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell P.C., explores the upsides to be realized through these communications and the perils of failing to seize them. Download a PDF of this article here.

On April 27, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft risk evaluation of perchloroethylene.  Perchloroethylene is the last of the first ten chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  EPA’s draft risk evaluation preliminarily found unreasonable risk to workers, occupational non-users, consumers, bystanders, and the environment from certain uses.  EPA states that the primary health risk identified in the draft...

By Lynn L. Bergeson EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is hosting the following webinars to educate scientists on the more than 30 federal opportunities available in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: Thursday, April 16, 2020, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EDT). Join the webinar; Thursday, April 23, 2020, 2:00 p.m.to 3:00 p.m. (EDT). Join the webinar; and Thursday, April 30, 2020, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EDT). Join the webinar. Webinar participants will learn...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute announced the availability of $4 million for five selected projects. The projects align with RAPID’s research focus areas in chemical and commodity processing, renewable bioproducts, natural gas upgrading, modeling and simulation, module manufacturing, and intensified process fundamentals.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on April 23, 2020, announcing the availability of the draft scope documents for the risk evaluations to be conducted for the remaining seven of the 20 high-priority substances designated in December 2019.  85 Fed. Reg. 22733.  The draft scope document for each chemical substance includes the conditions of use, hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations that EPA plans to...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to release a timely episode of the All Things Chemical™ podcast, “Chemical Distribution in the Time of COVID-19 — A Conversation with Eric R. Byer, NACD.” In this episode, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, and Eric Byer, President and CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), sat down to discuss current challenges facing small and large chemical distributors, and how NACD member...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has postponed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) peer review virtual meeting scheduled for April 27-30, 2020, due to recent changes in the availability of SACC members for the review.  EPA states that given the importance of the draft risk evaluation for asbestos, it believes that “rescheduling for a time when more members are available is critical and will allow for a more robust...

Register now for the American Bar Association (ABA) webinar “Navigating the Jurisdictional Tightrope Between Biopesticides, Biostimulants, and Related Emerging Technologies” with Bergeson & Campbell P.C. (B&C®) professionals deconstructing the jurisdictional boundaries distinguishing pesticides, biopesticides, plant regulators, biostimulants, and related technologies. The webinar will focus on draft EPA guidance intended to clarify the lines between and among those products that are...

The Nanotechnology Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) aired a special episode of its podcast on March 31, 2020, “Resources for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19: A Conversation with Jennifer Shieh.”  The episode features a conversation between Dr. Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), and Dr. Jennifer Shieh, Chief Scientist and Program Manager at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).  Dr. Shieh discusses the resources...

On April 17, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the second set of draft scope documents for the seven remaining chemicals designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  As reported in our December 20, 2019, memorandum, EPA designated these chemicals as a high priority for risk evaluation in December 2019.  According to EPA, seeking public input on the conditions of use to be included in the risk...

On April 7, 2020, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Carbon Nanotubes — First nanomaterial of high concern on the SIN List.”  As reported in our November 27, 2019, blog item, ChemSec added carbon nanotubes to the Substitute It Now (SIN) List in November 2019.  According to Dr. Anna Lennquist, Senior Toxicologist, International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), ever since ChemSec created the SIN List, there have been...

On April 16, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a call on its recently announced plan to reduce the burden for certain stakeholders subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees rule requirements for EPA-initiated risk evaluations.  The call covered: How EPA’s plan to initiate a rulemaking to consider proposing exemptions to the current rule’s requirements impacts manufacturers and other businesses;  What the “No Action Assurance” means for...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will host a virtual meeting of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The virtual meeting will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EDT). Interested parties must contact the Board’s Designated Federal Officer, Jay Nathwani, via e-mail or phone at 202-586-9410.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is hosting the following webinars to educate scientists on the more than 30 federal opportunities available in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: Thursday, April 16, 2020, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EDT).  Join the webinar;  Thursday, April 23, 2020, 2:00 p.m.to 3:00 p.m. (EDT).  Join the webinar; and  Thursday, April 30, 2020, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00...

This week, I sat down with Eric Byer, President and CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD). Eric, like many of us these days, is working hard and under extraordinary circumstances ensuring that his member companies are able to continue to distribute much needed chemical products, including sanitizers and other cleaning products, in response to the pandemic.  Our conversation focused on these uniquely “in the moment” issues and a broad range of federal,...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 21237:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Air filter media containing polymeric nanofibres — Specification of characteristics and measurement methods.”  According to ISO, in recent years, air filter media containing nanofibers have been commercialized and widely used by different industries due to their high filtration efficiency, along with a low pressure drop created by the slip flow effect.  ISO...

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on August 11, 2020, its quarterly update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) confidential business information (CBI) review statistics.  These data summarize the number of CBI cases under review and results of completed reviews through June 15, 2020: CBI Review Statistics (cases received between June 22, 2016 and June 15, 2020)Cases in which the specific chemical identity is subject to CBI review3,326Cases in which...