By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On March 2, 2021, the University of Southern California (USC) Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Santa Catalina Island announced a new aquaculture technique that increases dramatically kelp growth and, consequently, yields four times more biomass than other natural processes. Using a “kelp elevator,” this new technique optimizes growth for bronze-colored floating algae by raising and lowering it to...
On March 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it reached a settlement agreement with Brenntag Pacific, Inc. for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to EPA, Brenntag Pacific, Inc. has corrected the violations and will pay a $128,265 fine. EPA states that it discovered the violations following inspections at Brenntag Pacific, Inc. facilities in Fairbanks, Alaska, and in Santa Fe Springs, California. EPA inspectors “found the...
Registration is open for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) March 23, 2021, webinar on “What We Know About NanoEHS: Human Exposure.” The webinar will feature experts from diverse disciplines to share their perspectives on key findings in quantifying and assessing the effects of human exposure to nanomaterials. Keana Scott, Ph.D., Physical Scientist, Materials Measurement Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology...
March 3, 2021
GAO Reports that EPA’s Process for Assessing and Controlling Toxic Chemicals Has Regressed
On March 2, 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its latest High Risk List, which includes 36 areas across the federal government vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or needing broad-based transformation. According to GAO, five areas have regressed since 2019, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) process for assessing and controlling toxic chemicals. GAO’s report, High-Risk Series: Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address...
March 3, 2021
NIEHS-Funded Study Finds Graphene Nanochannel Filters Hold Promise for Contaminant Clean-Up
The March 2021 issue of Environmental Factor, a monthly newsletter published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), includes an item entitled “New graphene nanochannel filters hold promise for contaminant clean-up.” According to the item, an NIEHS-funded study found a new strategy to design nanomaterials to filter contaminants better from water. To improve the usefulness of graphene oxide nanosheets for filtering contaminants from liquid, the...
On March 1, 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report entitled Man-Made Chemicals and Potential Health Risks: EPA Has Completed Some Regulatory-Related Actions for PFAS. GAO was asked to examine the status of regulatory-related actions in EPA’s 2019 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan. GAO found that EPA completed three of six selected regulatory-related actions for addressing PFAS outlined in the PFAS...
Product Stewardship And The Pandemic: Surviving And Thriving In Disruptive Times, March 31, 2021, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT, Via Webinar: The COVID-19 global pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on business operations. To strengthen organizational resilience going forward, we must examine lessons learned and position product stewardship as a key player in business continuity and crisis management.This future-focused webinar hosted by the Product Stewardship...
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun a public consultation on a derogation to the exclusion criteria for creosote for product type 8 (PT 8; wood preservatives). Under the European Union (EU) Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), active substances that meet the exclusion criteria can be approved or renewed only if they meet one or more of the following derogation criteria: exposure is negligible; the active substance is essential to prevent a serious danger to human or animal...
On February 5, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is reviewing actions issued under the previous Administration and will take any needed steps to ensure that they protect human health and the environment. The announcement included an update on the following chemical safety actions that have immediate or near-term effective dates or other steps associated with them. According to the announcement, these actions, along with other chemical safety...