October 8, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Growing Influence of Chemical Risk Evaluation on the M&A Market,” Financier Worldwide, October 2019.

In 2018, the global M&A market achieved a transaction volume of $4.1 trillion, the third highest year ever for M&A volumes. Divestitures, spin-offs and split-offs are essential to defining corporate identity, a key shareholder imperative. This brisk pace is expected to continue. Whatever the motivation, M&A activity demands razor-sharp due diligence. The premise of this article is that due diligence often underestimates or, worse, ignores the impact implementation of revisions to the...
October 1, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Restrictions and TSCA’s Growing Commercial Influence,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 29, Issue 1, Fall 2019.

This past spring, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a first-ever final rule under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banning the use of methylene chloride in consumer paint and coating removal products. Although this rule was long in the making, this type of chemical ban of selected products is likely to be seen more routinely in the months and years ahead. This article reflects upon EPA’s broad authority under TSCA Section 6 and explores the...
September 18, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Compliance: Court Nullifies New York Disclosure Program,” Chemical Processing, September 18, 2019.

In a significant victory for industry, on August 27, 2019, the State of New York Supreme Court invalidated the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program. The program is an example of the newest trend in state “information disclosure” programs intended to force product manufacturers to disclose the ingredients in products sold to consumers. This article discusses the program and explains why the court...
August 27, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Proposes PBT Chemicals Rule,” Chemical Processing, August 27, 2019.

After many years of study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry stakeholders, and the scientific community at large well know that chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) behave differently in the environment and in biological systems than non-PBT chemicals. Congress acknowledged this in updating the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 2016 by specifying special provisions under TSCA Section 6(h) for PBT chemicals. In June of this year,...
August 23, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, Kathleen M. Roberts, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., “Protecting the Value of Health, Safety Studies—Emerging TSCA Issues,” Bloomberg Environment Insights, August 22-23, 2019.

Health and safety studies provide invaluable insights into the hazards posed by chemical substances. The cost of generating these studies is also considerable, and access to them should be commensurate with the intellectual property interests they reflect. This article explores two current challenges under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and offers practical tips for managing these issues.
July 26, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Expert Focus: TSCA and Liability under the False Claims Act – a Potentially Promising Area,” Chemical Watch, July 26, 2019.

A federal appellate court recently decided a case brought under the FCA’s reverse false claims provision premised on alleged non-compliance with a TSCA reporting obligation. Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP v. BASF Corp. As discussed in this article, while the court dismissed the case, it did so for fact-specific reasons and creative plaintiff lawyers can be expected to rely upon the FCA in the future to bring actions based on other TSCA provisions.
July 16, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “USDA Enhances Biobased Procurement Program,” Chemical Processing, July 16, 2019.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule on July 5, 2019, amending its “Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement” to include 30 more product categories for biobased products that may receive procurement preference by federal agencies and their contractors. These 30 product categories contain finished products made, in large part, from intermediate ingredients designated for federal procurement preference. This article explains why...
July 2, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Prioritizes Chemicals for Risk Evaluation: Why This Matters,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 28, Issue 4, Summer 2019.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on March 20, 2019, a list of 40 chemicals for which EPA is initiating the prioritization process for risk evaluation. This article explains why the prioritization process is critically important for product manufacturers to monitor and manage, and how best to do so.
June 28, 2019

Zameer Qureshi, “EU REACH: how’s life after the Registration deadlines?,” Elements, the Magazine of Chemicals Northwest,, Spring 2019.

The registration deadlines for pre-registered “phase-in” chemical substances under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation presented for the chemicals industry a wide range of demanding tasks requiring substantial expertise from scientists, consultants, lawyers, and others. The transitional phase of REACH ended on 31 May 2018, and companies of all shapes and sizes are now engaged in a wide range of ongoing compliance...
June 19, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Protecting Confidential Business Information: An Evolving Challenge,” International Chemical Regulatory and Law Review, Volume 2, Issue 2, Summer 2019.

The concept of confidential business information (CBI) is sometimes considered at odds with the concept of the ‘right-to-know.’ When Congress amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 2016 through enactment of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg), it was mindful of the public’s growing interest in knowing more about the identity of chemicals to which they may be exposed, but equally mindful of a business’ legitimate interest in protecting...
May 17, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Compliance: Get Ready for South Korean Deadline,” Chemical Processing, May 17, 2019.

Global chemical substance notification deadlines continue to populate the regulatory horizon. For companies active in worldwide markets, it’s crucial to review and meet all important notification and registration deadlines in each country. This article focuses on South Korea’s policy and explains why it’s essential to meet these deadlines.
April 19, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Rise of Ingredient Disclosure: The California and New York Experience,” Environmental Quality Management, Volume 28, Issue 3, Spring 2019.

In the recent past, two important states—California and New York—have launched extensive and precedent‐setting ingredient disclosure laws regarding cleaning products with the clear goal of prompting the deselection of certain chemical substances and forcing product reformulation. Industry prefers to refer to this trend as “ingredient communication,” a goal we can all agree is desirable. By whatever name, these state measures will have a significant impact on ingredient disclosure...
April 10, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Updates the TSCA Inventory: Impact on chemical importers,” Elements, the Magazine of Chemicals Northwest, Spring 2019.

On February 19, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a much anticipated “updated” Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory. The updated TSCA Inventory now lists chemicals that are “active” versus “inactive” in commerce in the U.S. This development has important legal and transactional implications for foreign companies importing chemicals into the U.S. This column explains why.
March 29, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Regulatory Opportunities and Challenges in Commercialising Biobased Chemicals,” International Chemical Regulatory and Law Review, Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 2019.

The 21st Century has witnessed intense renewed interest in commercialising new biobased chemicals, defined generally to include chemicals that are derived fromplants and otherrenewablematerials. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the U.S. law thatregulatesindustrial chemicalsubstances,including biobased chemicals, used in applications other than food, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides, or uses that are regulated by other federal authorities. TSCA wassignificantly amended in 2016, and...
March 14, 2019

Cheryl B. Cleveland, Carrie R. Fleming, Jason E. Johnston, Angela S. Klemens, and Bruce M. Young, “Benchmarking the Current Codex Alimentarius International Estimated Short-Term Intake Equations and the Proposed New Equations,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, March 14, 2019.

The International Estimated Short-Term Intake IESTI equations are used during the establishment of Codex Maximum Residue Limits. A recent proposal to revise the equations sparked international debate regarding selection of residue inputs and the appropriate level of consumer protection. The 49th Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues meeting recommended benchmarking the IESTI equations against distributions of actual exposures. Using publicly available data and models, this work compares dietary...
March 11, 2019

Lynn L. Bergeson and Karin F. Baron, “Expert Focus: A Glimpse at US OSHA’s Updated Hazard Communication Standard,” Chemical Watch, March 11, 2019.

The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is, by its very nature, perennially a work in progress. The US is committed to global harmonisation in classifying chemical hazards, and the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) 2012 incorporation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals into the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was a big step forward in achieving global harmonisation. The road is long, however, and...
February 22, 2019

Lynn L, Bergeson, “FDA Proposed Rule for OTC Sunscreen Drug Products Addresses Sunscreens Containing Nanomaterials,” Nanotechnology Now, February 22, 2019.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scheduled to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register on February 26, 2019, that would put into effect a final monograph for nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products.