December 14, 2023

EPA’s Proposed Registration of a Sprayable RNAi Biopesticide — A Conversation with Meibao Zhuang, Ph.D.

Download transcript. Download “Considerations for the Environmental Risk Assessment of the Application of Sprayed or Externally Applied dsRNA-Based Pesticides.” This week, listeners are in for a real treat as I sit down with Dr. Meibao Zhuang, Senior Scientist/Regulatory Consultant with B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group, to discuss double-stranded ribonucleic acid interference, better known as ds RNAi. Ds RNAi is a technology that allows scientists to silence (or...
November 30, 2023

Community Outreach and Environmental Justice — A Conversation with Rachel James of the SELC

Download transcript. This week, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting with Rachel James, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). Rachel’s background and specialized training make her uniquely well suited to address some of the very interesting issues in which she engages at SELC on behalf of a diverse set of community groups. The Biden-Harris Administration has made environmental justice and accounting for susceptible subpopulations core components of its approach to...
November 16, 2023

Rev 10 GHS — A Conversation with Karin F. Baron

Download transcript. This week, I welcomed back to the studio Karin F. Baron, Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Karin and I discuss Revision 10 of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, commonly referred to as GHS. Release of any new GHS revision is a big deal, and Revision 10 is no exception. Karin highlights key elements of the revision, including...
November 2, 2023

TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Session

On June 29, 2023, B&C, along with the Environmental Law Institute and the George Washington  University Milken Institute of Public Health, sponsored the all-day virtual conference, TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later. The conference was hugely successful and over 700 people registered for it. The quality of the discussion, the caliber of the participants, and the timeliness of the content motivated us to repurpose the substantive sessions to enable our podcast audience to listen...
October 26, 2023

TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later: New Chemicals Review Session

On June 29, 2023, B&C, along with the Environmental Law Institute and the George Washington  University Milken Institute of Public Health, sponsored the all-day virtual conference, TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later. The conference was hugely successful and over 700 people registered for it. The quality of the discussion, the caliber of the participants, and the timeliness of the content motivated us to repurpose the substantive sessions to enable our podcast audience to listen...
October 19, 2023

TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later: Risk Management Session

On June 29, 2023, B&C, along with the Environmental Law Institute and the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health, sponsored an all-day virtual conference, TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later. The conference was hugely successful and over 700 people registered for it. The quality of the discussion, the caliber of the participants, and the timeliness of the content inspired us to re-broadcast the discussion to our podcast audience. This panel discusses the U.S....
October 12, 2023

TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later: Risk Evaluation Session

On June 29, 2023, B&C, along with the Environmental Law Institute and the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health, sponsored the all-day virtual conference, TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later. The conference was hugely successful and over 700 people registered for it. The quality of the discussion, the caliber of the participants, and the timeliness of the content motivated us to repurpose the substantive sessions to enable our podcast audience to listen to...
September 28, 2023

Lessons in Effective Government Advocacy — A Conversation with Mark Washko

Download transcript. This week I had the distinct pleasure of visiting with Mark Washko, Head of Federal Government Affairs at BASF Corporation. I have worked with Mark and admire his extraordinary communication skills, particularly his ability to advocate on complex science policy and chemical issues clearly and in a way that is relatable. We in the chemical community are constantly challenged on so many levels in this regard — how to speak clearly, and to speak...
September 14, 2023

PMN Review and Orders — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

This week, we are re-releasing my conversation with Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®), our consulting affiliate, originally recorded in April. We discussed then a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) issuance of a Consent Order under Section 5(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). As listeners may know, judicial challenges to TSCA Section 5(e) orders are rare, and this one is even more...
August 31, 2023

Section 6 Advocacy and the Importance of Being Early — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

Download transcript. This week I discuss with my colleague, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group, our consulting affiliate, the importance of engaging early and often with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 6 risk evaluation process. We discuss conditions of use (COU) of a chemical being evaluated by EPA, the reasons why educating EPA on COUs is critically important to regulated...