On Jan. 3, 2014, a federal working group created by Executive Order 13650 issued a set of preliminary options intended to improve chemical plant security. This is a hot topic likely to command considerable attention in the New Year....
According to the study, Impact of REACH on SMEs in the Netherlands, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment, 23% of SMEs belonging to the chemical industry are not aware that they do, in fact, have obligations under REACH. A company does not need to be an SME, however, to have the false impression that it has no obligations under REACH. This article outlines frequent misconceptions regarding REACH obligations and provides guidance...
March 20, 2014
Lynn L. Bergeson, “America Competes Reauthorization Act Would Reauthorize NNI,” Nanotechnology Now, March 20, 2014.
On March 7, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted a report entitled Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fate of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Test Guidelines, which provides a report of the discussion and recommendations from the January 2013 expert meeting on ecotoxicology and environmental fate....
It is official. California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) Safer Consumer Products regulations, and the program went into effect on October 1, 2013. The regulations mark 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. This new program is a true game-changer, and it...
March 18, 2014
Lynn L. Bergeson, “Toxic Substance Control Act Reform Nears,” Chemical Processing, March 18, 2014.
Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a little closer to happening since Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, released on February 27, 2014, a discussion draft updating the TSCA. The Chemicals in Commerce Act (CICA) keys off S. 1009, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), which was introduced last May by the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Senator David...
On March 7, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted a report entitled Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fate of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Test Guidelines, which provides a report of the discussion and recommendations from the January 2013 expert meeting on ecotoxicology and environmental fate....
The European Union Biocidal Products Regulation dramatically changes the way biocidal active substances and biocidal products are regulated under European law. This new regulatory system is subtly different from those in other jurisdictions and EU neighboring countries, and fundamentally redefines biocidal products and treated articles. Companies exporting to the EU as a component of their global business must ensure that their supply chains and product designs are compliant with the regulation....
February 13, 2014
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Targets Flame Retardants DecaBDE and BPA,” Chemical Processing, February 13, 2014.
On January 29, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two final Alternatives Assessment Reports for the flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) and bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper. The EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program developed the assessments, which profile the environmental and human health hazards for DecaBDE, BPA, and their alternatives. This article explains why these assessments are important....
February 12, 2014
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Promulgates Final SNURs for Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Infused Carbon Nanostructures,” Nanotechnology Now, February 12, 2014.
On February 12, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued, through a direct final rule, significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 35 chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). The 35 substances include four identified as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (generic) that were the subject of a December 3, 2012, TSCA Section 5(e) consent order....
The German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has posted an English translation of a 2012 document entitled Concept for a European Register of Products Containing Nanomaterials. See http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/publikationen/concept-for-a-european-register-of-products The document states that, due to the particular uncertainties concerning evaluation of the possible risks of nanomaterials for human health and the environment, UBA supports the establishment of a European register of...