The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a document entitled Chemical Accidents Involving Nanomaterials: Potential Risks and Review of Prevention, Preparedness and Response Measures — Project Report. Part of OECD’s series on chemical accidents, the document presents the outcome from a project of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents (WPCA) that aimed to investigate safety issues related to the prevention of, preparedness for, and response to...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on July 18, 2022, updating the list of chemicals subject to toxic chemical release reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). 87 Fed. Reg. 42651. The final rule updates the regulations to identify five per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that must be reported pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA)...
July 19, 2022
EPA Will Hold Kick-Off Meeting on TSCA New Chemical Engineering Initiative to Increase Transparency and Reduce Rework
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Chemicals Program will hold a webinar on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (EDT). During the webinar, EPA will provide an in-depth look at its analysis of common issues that cause EPA to have to reconduct risk assessments (“rework”) before taking questions from the audience. As reported in our June 27, 2022, memorandum, in June 2022, EPA announced a broad outreach effort to describe and to discuss...
July 19, 2022
EPA Will Hold Kick-Off Meeting on TSCA New Chemical Engineering Initiative to Increase Transparency
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Chemicals Program will hold a webinar on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (EDT). During the webinar, EPA will provide an in-depth look at its analysis of common issues that cause EPA to have to reconduct risk assessments (“rework”) before taking questions from the audience. As reported in our June 27, 2022, memorandum, in June 2022,...
July 19, 2022
EPA Announces New Chemical Engineering Initiative Intended To Increase Transparency And Reduce Rewor
By Lynn L. Bergeson The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 24, 2022, that it is “conducting a broad outreach effort to describe and discuss with stakeholders how the Agency evaluates data provided for new chemicals submissions and common issues that cause EPA to have to reconduct risk assessments (‘rework’) for these submissions.” According to EPA, its goal is to reduce rework of initial risk assessments for new chemicals submissions caused...
The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced on June 22, 2022, that the European Commission (EC) asked that it reassess the safety of titanium dioxide with a focus on genotoxicity and exposure via the inhalation and oral route (lip care, lipstick, toothpaste, loose powder, hair spray) “since the currently available scientific evidence supports an overall lack of dermal absorption” of titanium dioxide particles. The request notes that titanium dioxide is authorized...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a petition on June 16, 2022, under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) from Daniel M. Galpern on behalf of Donn J. Viviani, John Birks, Richard Heede, Lise Van Susteren, James E. Hansen, Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions, and Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative. The petition requests EPA “to phase out the anthropogenic manufacture, processing, distribution, use, and disposal of greenhouse gas (GHG)...
July 18, 2022
Defra Begins Public Consultation on Extending the UK REACH Transitional Registration Deadlines
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has begun a public consultation on extending the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) submission deadlines for transitional registrations — the registrations under UK REACH of substances that were registered in the European Union (EU) in accordance with EU REACH on or before December 31, 2020, the end of the Brexit transition period. Defra seeks comment on two options to...
July 16, 2022
OSTP Publishes RFI on Identifying Critical Data Gaps and Needs to Inform Federal Strategic Plan for PFAS R&D
On July 13, 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requested input from all interested parties to identify data gaps in research and development (R&D) regarding several aspects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 87 Fed. Reg. 41749. This information will be used to inform a strategic plan for federal coordination of PFAS R&D and, in compliance with Section 332 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal...
The Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has published a NanoTrust Dossier entitled “Advanced Materials.” According to the dossier, advanced materials are “materials or material combinations with improved, novel or unique functionalities or properties” and represent a broad class of materials that include semiconductors, biomaterials, and nanomaterials. The dossier states that in many cases, novel materials offer solutions to environmental...