August 23, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The New Administration and International Chemical Issues,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 27, Issue 4, Summer 2018.

As a candidate and now as president, President Trump has been uncharacteristically predictable in systematically dismantling signature environmental policies of prior administrations and ceding the United States’ leadership in combating climate change to other global powers. The administration’s industrial chemicals management policy has been less transparent and predictable, however. Some may have interpreted candidate Trump’s notable silence on the campaign trail as support for Toxic...
August 22, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Clarifies Chemical Review Process,” Chemical Processing, August 22, 2018.

The release of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 5(a)(3)(C) determination for a new polymer, P-16-0510, represents a positive step in implementing the New Chemicals Program under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The new chemical is intended to be used as a deodorizer in a variety of products, including floor cleaners, cat litter, fabric freshener sprays and other consumer products. This column explains why this is a significant...
August 10, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “U.S. Consumer Product Ingredient Disclosure Measures Pick Up Momentum,” International Chemical Regulatory and Law Review, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2018.

The ‘right-to-know’ has been a foundational element of U.S. environmental law and policy for decades. As more information becomes known about the potential health and environmental impacts of chemical substances in industrial, commercial, and especially consumer products, the public’s interest in product ingredients has sharply increased. Recently this interest has taken a new direction, one targeting consumer cleaning products. Two state initiatives, originating in opposite sides of the...
July 31, 2018

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., “EPA Includes Active-Inactive Designations on Updated TSCA Inventory,” ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources PCRRTK Newsletter, Volume 19, Issue 3, July 2018.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) April 2018 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory is now available (https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory/ how-access-tsca-inventory). For the first time, the Inventory includes a field designating substances that are “active” in U.S. commerce....
July 18, 2018

J. Brian Xu, M.D., Ph.D., DABT® and Scott J. Burya, Ph.D., “FCM regulations in China and the US – a comparison,” CW+ AsiaHub, July 18, 2018.

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

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....
July 16, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Ongoing Concern: EPA Proposes to Lower Dust-Lead Hazard Standards,” Manufacturing Today, Volume 18, Issue 5.

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 5, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EFSA Publishes New Guidance on Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed,” Nanotechnology Now, July 5, 2018.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a July 4, 2018, press release announcing the availability of new guidance on how to assess the safety of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications. The guidance covers novel foods, food contact materials, food and feed additives, and pesticides, taking into account new developments that have taken place since publication of the previous guidance in 2011. ...
June 20, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Eyes Nonylphenol Ethoxylates,” Chemical Processing, June 20, 2018.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expanded on June 12, 2018, the list of chemicals subject to reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The list now includes a category containing 13 nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE). NPEs are nonionic surfactants used in a variety of industrial applications and consumer products including adhesives, wetting agents, emulsifiers, stabilizers, dispersants, defoamers, cleaners, paints and...
May 29, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Environmentally Sound,” Manufacturing Today, May 29, 2018.

On March 16, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to add hazardous waste aerosol cans to the category of “universal wastes” regulated under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, codified at Title 40 of the C.F.R., Part 273. 83 Fed. Reg. 11654. According to EPA, this action would benefit the many manufacturing facilities and others that generate and manage large quantities of hazardous waste aerosol cans....
May 21, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “USDA Eyes Bioengineered Food Standard,” Chemical Processing, May 21, 2018.

On May 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed a rule to establish the first ever National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) mandated by Congress in 2016. This column discusses the proposal, what it intends to achieve, and its implications....
May 2, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Continues to Investigate Engineered Nanomaterials in Industrial Wastewater Discharge,” Nanotechnology Now, May 2, 2018.

On May 2, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice announcing publication of its Final 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan. The Plan describes EPA’s Clean Water Act rulemakings and other actions intended to control industrial wastewater pollution. ...
May 1, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “TSCA tips for European chemical stakeholders,” Elements, the Magazine of Chemicals Northwest, Spring, 2018.

Changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) occasioned by enactment of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act have fundamentally changed the way the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviews new and assesses existing chemical substances in surprising and subtle ways. Our 26-professionals TSCA practice in Washington, D.C. has been “doing TSCA” for a very long time. We offer our European colleagues practical insights into the new law and EPA’s...
May 1, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Essential Materials: OSHA Delays Enforcement of Part of the Beryllium Standard,” Manufacturing Today, Volume 18, Issue 4.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on March 2, 2018, that it will begin enforcing certain requirements of the 2017 final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general industry, construction, and shipyards on May 11, 2018, and that it will delay enforcement of certain other standards. This column discusses the final rule and OSHA’s recent enforcement policy. ...
April 23, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Proposes TSCA User Fees,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 27, Issue 3, Spring 2018.

We all knew it was coming, and the proposal has finally arrived. On February 8, 2018, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a proposed rule regarding user fees for the administration of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). As amended by the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, TSCA provides the EPA the authority to levy fees on certain chemical manufacturers, including importers and processors,...
April 20, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Compliance: Deadline Looms for Prop 65,” Chemical Processing, April 20, 2018.

In just a few short months, on August 30, 2018, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations will come into force. By then, companies must be compliant with the revised regulations for consumer product, occupational and environmental exposures....
March 29, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “OECD Evaluates Application of In Vitro Methods for Human Hazard Assessment in OECD Testing Program for Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials,” Nanotechnology Now, March 29, 2018.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a March 23, 2018, report entitled Evaluation of in vitro methods for human hazard assessment applied in the OECD Testing Programme for the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials....
March 12, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Proper Disposal,” Manufacturing Today, March 16, 2018.

In December 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule prohibiting entities from asserting claims of confidential business information (CBI) for certain documents related to the export, import, and transit of hazardous waste. Manufacturers that have historically relied on assertions of CBI should be aware of this change. ...
March 12, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “New TSCA Inspires New Litigation,” Chemical Watch Global Business Briefing, March 2018.

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was legislatively ‘modernised’ in June 2016, no one in the legal community doubted litigation was in our collective future. We have not been disappointed. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its legal counsel for these purposes, the US Department of Justice (DoJ), are facing multiple lawsuits in several federal appeals courts and the very real possibility of more litigation deriving from TSCA Section 21 citizen petitions in...
February 21, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Proposes TSCA User Fees,” Chemical Processing, February 21, 2018.

The cost of compliance with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) will soon rise. On February 8, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed off on proposed TSCA user fees. As amended by the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, TSCA authorizes the EPA to levy fees on certain chemical manufacturers, including importers and processors, to “provide a sustainable source of funding to defray resources that are available for implementation of...
January 2, 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, “NIOSH Plans to Support Implementation of WHO Guidelines to Protect Workers from Nanomaterials,” Nanotechnology Now, January 2, 2018.

On December 15, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item entitled “WHO Guidelines to Protect Workers from Nanomaterials.” As reported in our December 13, 2017, blog item (see https://nanotech.lawbc.com/2017/12/who-publishes-guidelines-on-protecting-workers-from-potential-risks-of-manufactured-nanomaterials/), the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published WHO Guidelines on Protecting Workers from Potential Risks of...
December 31, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Proposition 65 warning regulations must change—and soon!,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 27, Issue 2, Winter 2017.

Proposition 65 (Prop 65) is very much a part of the “right-to-know” landscape in California and, as we all know, Prop 65 warnings are especially visible in that state. This much is clear. What may be less clear are the sweeping changes in the “clear and reasonable warning” requirements now scheduled to take effect from August 30, 2018. This date may seem like a long way off, but it is right around the corner in...
December 31, 2017

Zameer Qureshi, “Brexit: An examination of key developments and their potential influence on European chemical laws,” Environmental Law & Management, Volume 29, Issue 4, 2017.

On 23 June 2016, more than 30 million people voted in a referendum to decide whether the United Kingdom (UK) should ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’ in the European Union (EU). The referendum turnout was 71.8 per cent and the Leave campaign won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, making ‘Brexit’ an important and imminent probability, with potentially substantial implications for a range of stakeholders, including the chemicals industry. Between then and now, there have...
December 1, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Resetting the TSCA Inventory: Why This Is Important,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 27, Issue 1, Fall 2017.

On August 11, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the third Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework final rule in the Federal Register, the TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements (EPA, 2017). This final rule is now in effect. This Washington Watch column explains why the rule is important, and what stakeholders should be doing to protect their interests....
November 14, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Warning Labels: Q&A Clears Up Proposition 65,” Chemical Processing, November 14, 2017.

California’s Proposition 65 (Prop 65) has been a keen area of client interest for years. One question repeatedly asked is “what is a clear and reasonable warning?” The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released a Questions and Answers for Businesses (Q&A) document specifically covering “clear and reasonable warnings” requirements. The Q&A aims to help companies comply with new Prop 65 notice requirements that become effective next August. This...
October 31, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D., “TSCA Affects on Algae, Other Novel Biosources, and Bioprocesses,” Industrial Biotechnology, Volume 13, Issue 5, October 2017.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the federal gap-filling chemical control law regulating chemical substances used in applications other than food, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides, and other uses that are regulated by other federal authorities. Chemical product innovators need to understand how TSCA, significantly amended in 2016, applies to biomass starting material, including industrial microorganisms (such as algae), intermediates, and commercial products, and build TSCA compliance...
October 30, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “California Targets Cleaning Product Ingredients,” Chemical Processing, October 30, 2017.

On October 15, 2017, California governor Jerry Brown (D) signed the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017. The law requires manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose certain chemical ingredients on the product label and on the manufacturer’s website. The online disclosure requirements apply to a designated product sold in California on or after January 1, 2020, while the product label disclosure requirements cover products sold in California on or after January 1, 2021....
October 12, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson and Bethami Auerbach, “Innovation, Consumer Products, and Legal Risk: Points to Consider,” Paper presented at the 2017 Retail Law Conference, October 12, 2017.

Products that embody tried, true, and especially cutting-edge technologies are generally embraced by retailers as sure-fire pathways to marketing success. What’s not to like about best sellers and newer, faster, cleaner, or otherwise improved products? Sometimes overlooked is what is hidden behind the technology curtain — what is the secret sauce that makes the product faster, cleaner, or better? In marketing products with new modes of action and spiffy new attributes, retailers are part...
October 4, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Promulgates Final SNUR for Bimodal Mixture Consisting of MWCNTs and Other Classes of CNTs,” Nanotechnology Now, October 4, 2017.

On October 3, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a final significant new use rule (SNUR) under Section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the chemical substance identified generically as bimodal mixture consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and other classes of carbon nanotubes (CNT), which was the subject of premanufacture notice (PMN) P-11-482....
September 26, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Issues Final TSCA Inventory Notification Rule,” Manufacturing Today, September 26, 2017.

On June 22, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final inventory notification rule under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The rule establishes an electronic notification of chemical substances listed on the TSCA Inventory that were manufactured/imported for nonexempt commercial purposes during the 10-year time period ending on June 21, 2016, with provision to also allow processor notification. These notifications will be used to distinguish...
August 22, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Compliance: Get Familiar with TSCA’s Inventory Rule,” Chemical Processing, August 22, 2017.

On August 11, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the third Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework final rule in the Federal Register, the TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements. This final rule is now in effect. Here is why the rule is important, and what stakeholders should be doing to protect their interests....
August 10, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “NIEHS Using Survey to Update 2012-2017 Strategic Plan,” Nanotechnology Now, August 10th, 2017.

NIEHS is developing a plan to guide its next five years and seeks broad input. NIEHS has created an online survey, “Trends & Insights: Next Steps for NIEHS,” through which stakeholders can provide feedback on the existing Strategic Plan, as well as offer any other relevant comments....
August 2, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, Jr., Charles M. Auer, Richard Engler, and Oscar Hernandez, “Practitioner Insights: Enhancing TSCA Reform Implementation,” BNA Daily Environment Report, August 2, 2017.

The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act significantly amended the Toxic Substances Control Act. The act, which has been in force for just over a year, made substantive changes to multiple sections of TSCA that are proving to be even more consequential than anticipated (new TSCA is identified as Pub. L. No. 114-182 and old TSCA was identified as Pub. L. No. 94-469). This paper, authored principally by former EPA officials...
August 1, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson and Timothy D. Backstrom, “Appellate Court Vacates Conditional Nanosilver Registration,” ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources PCRRTK Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue 5, August 2017.

On May 30, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit responded to two petitions for review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) conditional registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of a nanosilver pesticide product and vacated that conditional registration. NRDC v. EPA, No. 15-72308. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA)...
August 1, 2017

Lisa M. Campbell, Timothy D. Backstrom, and James V. Aidala, “EPA’s Evaluation and Determination of Epidemiological Data for Chlorpyrifos,” ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources PCRRTK Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue 5, August 2017.

Among the many legal, regulatory, and policy issues being watched closely by pesticide registrants as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long and contentious review of chlorpyrifos registrations continues is the controversy concerning when EPA may appropriately apply a tenfold uncertainty factor pursuant to the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA 10X). This issue centers around EPA’s novel and unprecedented use of epidemiological data and the statutory requirements that govern...
July 28, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Montreal Protocol is Amended and Strengthened,” Environmental Quality Management, Spring 2017.

Climate change watchers know that October, 15, 2016, was a historic day for international climate action. On that day, nearly 200 countries reached an agreement to phase down use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting to discuss the Amendment took place from July 15-23, 2016. This seemingly impossible alignment of international interests reflects years of effort. This column summarizes this historic event...
July 24, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA’s Regulatory Agenda Includes TSCA Section 8(a) Nanomaterials Rule with TBD Effective Date,” Nanotechnology Now, July 24, 2017.

On July 20, 2017, the Trump Administration published its Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Agenda includes a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) item (RIN 2070-AJ54) concerning the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) reporting rule for nanoscale materials....
July 24, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The State of Play,” Manufacturing Today, July 24, 2017.

Waters of the United States has been a “fluid” concept for years. It defines the jurisdictional limits of the authority of the United States under the Clean Water Act (CWA). President Trump’s Feb. 28, 2017, Executive Order (EO) directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to rescind and replace the Clean Water Rule (CWR) is the latest development to resolve the question of which surface waters and...
July 21, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Final Rule,” Manufacturing Today, July 21, 2017.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued on Jan. 12, 2017, a final rule under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) establishing reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain discrete forms of chemical substances that are manufactured or processed at the nanoscale. This column summarizes the rule....
June 30, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Trump Administration and Likely Impacts on Environmental Law and Policy,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 26, Issue 4, Summer 2017.

2016 was full of surprises, two of which are driving much of the environmental agenda for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2017.  First, Congress significantly amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in June of 2016.  The changes are intended to reform the program to address the widely recognized deficiencies in the law, especially regarding existing chemicals, chemical testing, Confidential Business Information (CBI) claims, and preemption of state...
June 22, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, Daniel B. González, Anabela Aldaz, and Christopher J. McNevin, “Mini-Roundtable: Environmental Disputes,” Corporate Disputes, July-September, 2017.

A major change, brought about by the November elections, is the uptick in citizen suit litigation, and lawsuits brought by third parties against the government. Given the current administration’s position on climate change, environmental regulation generally, and the perception that regulations impede economic growth and job development, there has been a significant slowdown in regulatory and administrative activity and the initiation of enforcement actions. NGOs and third-party activists will...
June 20, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Regulation: Prepare for the TSCA Inventory Reset,” Chemical Processing, June 20, 2017.

With the recent 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) dataset and the initial interim list of “active” substances released with the February 2017 copy of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory, the magnitude of effort needed for the TSCA Section 8(b)(4) Inventory Reset is becoming clear. Stakeholders should waste no time in preparing to meet their obligations; the final rule was issued in June....