Articles

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on January 4, 2013, the first draft risk assessments developed under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan. This article explains why these assessments are important....

Since President Obama won on November 6, the forecast for Pollution Engineering readers is a bit clearer. Below are preliminary observations on what lies ahead regarding environmental issues at the legislative and regulatory levels....

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) is one step closer to implementing the state’s Green Chemistry Initiative (GCI), which directs regulators to evaluate safer alternatives to chemicals that are believed to be toxic. These are not “garden variety” chemical regulations that impose a restriction here or there to prevent a perceived risk. Far from it. These regulations are game-changers. They ultimately will transform the way manufacturers select raw materials and...

On December 3, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued its use of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to regulate products (not just chemicals) in publishing a final rule adding cadmium and cadmium compounds to the TSCA Section 8(d) rule. In so doing, manufacturers and importers of cadmium must submit unpublished health and safety studies to the EPA (including use in materials that have been or are “reasonably likely” to be incorporated into...

Barack Obama won a decisive victory in the presidential election on 6 November and the forecast for the next four years is clearer now than it was pre-election. This article offers some preliminary observations on what lies ahead regarding domestic chemical management issues at the legislative and regulatory levels....

The European Union in recent years has promulgated new regulations to set forth the procedures by which pesticides (called biocides and plant protectants in the EU) are registered and how companies can address issues related to the citation and compensation of data submitted that support those pesticide registrations. Canada also recently issued regulations setting forth new requirements on how data used to support a pesticide registration are protected. This article provides a broad overview of...

It is entirely appropriate to consider how REACH may influence reconsideration of the U.S. chemical regulatory environment, and the report provides some critical insights. But REACH is not the only consideration — Canada’s Chemical Management Plan should be considered as well. Further, REACH should be considered from a practitioner’s, not an academic’s, perspective to learn lessons relevant to U.S. chemicals management ...

On August 15, 2012, EPA issued proposed amendments to the significant new use rule (SNUR) for perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFAS) chemical substances to add seven PFAS chemical substances that have completed the new chemical review process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA has not yet commenced production or import, and to designate (for all listed PFAS chemical substances) “processing” as a significant new use. The agency is also proposing a SNUR for long-chain perfluoroalkyl...

The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stirred debate for years. EPA has vowed to reform its ways, and soon may be strongly urged to do so, as a result of an underway review mandated by Congress. Specifically, the measure directs the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review certain IRIS assessments. This article describes IRIS and the process underway to...

The dual national goals of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and greening the economy converge in biobased chemicals, the promising and rapidly evolving field of technology that produces commercial chemicals from renewable feedstocks. Although biobased chemicals have a long history, increasing sensitivity to reliance on nonrenewable feedstocks and the environmental impact of petroleum-derived chemicals have hastened the commercialization of biobased chemicals, and today they are in...